World virologists are concerned about the Islamic hajj to Saudi Arabia in wake of the outbreak of the deadly MERS virus.
The virus has originated in Saudi Arabia but no one has been able to find the source of the virus. The virus has struck hardest in Saudi with 40 deaths, a 52% mortality rate. Continue reading
Saudi Arabia announced another death from the MERS virus bringing the death toll to 34.
A total of 66 cases have been confirmed by Saudi officials making the fatality rate for the virus to 52%. Continue reading
The World Health Organization has confirmed a 33rd death from the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) coronavirus along with three new cases in Saudi Arabia.
The new cases make 58 laboratory-confirmed cases of the infection. The latest death was a 21-year-old man who had been admitted into intensive care earlier this week. The death is unusual in that most cases involve older people; the other two cases in Saudi Arabia are a 63-year old woman in stable condition and a 75-year-old man in intensive care. Continue reading
After months of downplaying the infectiousness of the new SARS-like virus first found in Saudi Arabia, now called MERS or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, the director-general of the World Health Organization is calling the virus a global threat. Continue reading
The World Health Organization is calling on governments to waive patient rights in connection to research on the novel coronavirus found in the middle east now called MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). Continue reading
The Novel Coronavirus has killed a Tunisian man in the first reported case of the virus in Africa.
The 66-year-old victim had visited Saudi Arabia where the virus is known to be active. He had been complaining of breathing problems since his return from his travels and died in a hospital. Continue reading
The World Health Organization had admitted the Novel Coronavirus (NCoV), which has killed 18 of the 34 people it has infected, can be passed between people.
The release from the WHO follows reports from France of a second man who has contracted the virus in a very likely case of human-to-human transmission. Saudi Arabia also announced two more deaths from the virus. Continue reading
As 24 people are now confirmed dead from H7N9 bird flu, researchers are saying that it poses a “serious threat” because of the pace and severity of the outbreak.
Professor John McCauley of the World Health Organization told reporters it was “unusual to get these numbers” so quickly at the discovery of a new virus. One of the big problems with H7N9 is that it does not create symptoms in birds so it is almost impossible to detect without testing all birds. Continue reading
On the same day that a World Health Organization official announced the H7N9 strain of bird flu is “one of the most lethal”, other statements are indicating the organization is not as sure of their previous view the virus does not transmit between humans.
“The situation remains complex and difficult and evolving,” WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Security Keiji Fukuda said at a pressconference. “When we look at influenza viruses, this is an unusually dangerous virus for humans.” Continue reading
Survivors of the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan could be facing a serious health issue if they were near the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant. Continue reading
