Saudi Arabia says 4 more die from new respiratory virus MERS related to SARS.(Yahoo).
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia says four more people have died from a new respiratory virus related to SARS, bringing the total number of deaths to 32 in the kingdom at the centre of the growing crisis.
Overall, nearly 40 people have died from the virus since September, mostly in Europe and the Middle East. That's according to local officials and the World Health Organization. The Saudi Health Ministry also said on Monday that it confirmed three more cases of the virus, including in a 2-year-old child. Officials are still seeking clues on how easily it is spread between humans.
The virus continues to spread into new countries, raising concern ahead of the Islamic pilgrimage periods which will occur this summer and autumn.
Most of the victims suffered from underlying medical conditions. The WHO says the virus spreads by means including interpersonal contact, and possibly via airborne transmission between people in closed quarters.
Authorities believe initial transmission of the virus was from animal to human, but the animal source remains unidentified. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control noted the many unanswered questions about the Middle East-based virus, issuing a statement saying, “It is unusual to have such a degree of uncertainty at this stage in an outbreak.”
The new virus is related to SARS, which killed some 800 people in a global epidemic in 2003, and belongs to a family of viruses that most often causes the common cold.Read the full story here.
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