Is really a New SARS-like Virus Spreading in the Middle East?

As with many emerging epidemics, we commonly ignore them until individuals start dying. If exactly the same logic applies here, it’s time to begin making time for the new SARS-like virus found in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. While only six cases are identified so far, two with the patients died, suggesting that the survival rate isn’t stellar.

Based on Reuters, the World Health Organization (WHO) originally issued a global alert in late September saying a virus in the past unknown in humans acquired infected a Qatari man who had ended up in Saudi Arabia, where another man with the same virus had died.

On Friday, November twenty three, the WHO said within an outbreak update that this had registered four more cases and on the list of new patients had died.

“The additional cases have been identified within the enhanced surveillance in Saudi Arabia (3 cases, including 1 death) and also Qatar (1 case), ” the actual WHO statement said.

The modern virus is a coronavirus using similar symptoms to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which emerged in Tiongkok in 2002 and wiped out around a 10th with the 8, 000 people this infected worldwide. Typical signs or symptoms include coughing, difficulty deep breathing and high fever. It spreads like other the respiratory system viruses, through releasing viral allergens from coughing and sneezing which then find new hosts from the general vicinity.

The WHO said inspections were being conducted in the likely source of the infection, the method of exposure, and the possibility of human-to-human transmission with the virus.

“Close contacts with the recently confirmed cases are now being identified and followed-up, ” this said.

It added that to date, only the two of late confirmed cases in Saudi Arabia were epidemiologically linked — they were from the same spouse and children, living in the exact same household.

“Preliminary investigations indicate why these two cases presented using similar symptoms of disease. One died and the other recovered, ” the WHO’s declaration said. (Source: Reuters Health)

Argument for alarm? No, but there’s enough information released now that paying consideration is warranted.