Qatar announces first case of MERS virus
Health authorities in Qatar have announced the first case of MERS coronavirus in the Gulf state, with a 59-year-old man infected.
The patient, a Qatari, was in stable condition, they said on Tuesday. Another Qatari with the infection died in a London hospital on June 28.
The virus has killed 46 people worldwide since September, 39 of them in Saudi Arabia, which neighbours Qatar.
MERS is considered a cousin of the SARS virus that erupted in Asia in 2003 and infected 8,273 people, nine percent of whom died.
Like SARS, it is thought to have jumped from animals to humans, and shares the former's flu-like symptoms, but differs by causing kidney failure.
Researchers have pointed to the Arabian, or dromedary, camel as a possible host of the virus.
Scientists studying the new virus have found older patients, men and people with underlying medical conditions are those particularly at risk.
Read more: Al Jazeera
Pic: NIAID
I'm afraid that the MERS virus has a much higher mortality rate than 9%.
Mandi
Thats 745 people... still a big amount that died.
what a menace to society
With the way the guys are stuffed up in the labour camps and accomodations and with the sanitary conditions being what they are in the camps and in the crowded and cramped living spaces at Najma, Mansooura, etc.. I am suprised that there are not worse diseases then the MERS VIRUS happening
This is future of pharma marketing...
Get some publicity... and sell so called antidote... even if it contains just normal-saline... no problem...
then dump it on countries who want to trade with these countries ...
Its doing Jumping jacks.
On a serious note OMG OMG run run as fast as u can..
nothing , keep healthy
our car exhausts [ pollution ] help to dominate the air we breath and protect us from its menace ?
Is the virus climbing up or rolling down ?
Is it last years' news ?
What about the guy they flew to London for treatment last year?
Sometimes the media scares the society , you know ...
you want more to die MM? :). forget it that was 2003 scenario.
Infected 8,273 people,
and only nine percent of whom died.
Is this serious ?