Qatar reports new case of MERS Coronavirus

A 61-year-old  man who was in Qatar looking for work is the latest case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), according to a Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) report Thursday (computer translated).

Image/Maureen Metcalfe; Azaibi Tamin

If this case turns out to be confirmed, it would be the 9th case of MERS-CoV in the country. Currently, there are eight confirmed cases, including three fatalities.

The official global case count from the World Health Organization (WHO) from Monday says there has been a total of 153 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 64 deaths.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is viral respiratory illness first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. It is caused by a coronavirus called MERS-CoV. Most people who have been confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection developed severe acute respiratory illness. They had fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About half of these people died.

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