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Published On: Tue, Dec 17th, 2013

Saudi Arabia reports two more MERS coronavirus cases, virus confirmed in dromedary camels

Saudi Arabian health officials notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of an additional two laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), according to a WHO news release today.

According to the release, the cases are as follows:

The first case is a 51 year-old female from Saudi Arabia, living in Jawf province with onset of symptoms on 20 November 2013. She has underlying chronic disease and was transferred to Riyadh for treatment in an intensive care unit. She had no reported contact with animals. The epidemiological investigation is ongoing. The second case is a 26 year-old female who is a non-Saudi healthcare worker in Riyadh. She is asymptomatic. She had reported contact with a 37 year-old male laboratory confirmed case that was reported to WHO on 21 November 2013.

This brings the global total of confirmed MERS-CoV cases to 165, including 71 fatalities.

In other news about the novel virus, researchers confirmed that the strain of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) isolated in camels in a Qatari farm were basically identical to the virus found in two people associated with the farm.

The research, published in Monday’s  Lancet Infectious Diseasesnotes that genetically, the camel and human viruses were very similar, but not identical.

The research team says that the virological confirmation of MERS-CoV in camels suggests a recent outbreak affecting both human beings and camels. However, they cannot conclude whether the people on the farm were infected by the camels or vice versa, or if a third source was responsible.

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 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) Image/CDC

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
Image/CDC

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About the Author

- Writer, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch. Robert has been covering news in the areas of health, world news and politics for a variety of online news sources. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the website, Outbreak News Today and hosts the podcast, Outbreak News Interviews on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify Robert is politically Independent and a born again Christian Follow @bactiman63

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    […] aspects of the virus is the question, “where are humans contracting it from?” Recent research has found the virus in dromedary camels; however, still nothing is clear or […]

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    […] Saudi Arabia reports two more MERS coronavirus cases, virus confirmed in dromedary camels […]

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    […] researchers find ways to control the spread of the virus.MERS virus found in camels in QatarCBC.caSaudi Arabia reports two more MERS coronavirus cases, virus confirmed in …The Global DispatchScientists prove deadly human MERS virus also infects […]

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    […] Saudi Arabia reports two more MERS coronavirus cases, virus confirmed in dromedary camels […]

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    […] Saudi Arabia reports two more MERS coronavirus cases, virus confirmed in dromedary camels […]

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    […] Found in Camels on Farm of Infected OwnerBusinessweekMERS virus found in camels in QatarCBC.caThe Global Dispatchall 48 news […]

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