Deadly New Virus Warning Issued by the CDC for SARS-Type Virus in Arabia
The Centers for Disease Control is warning of a new deadly virus that has killed eight and infected dozens more in the United Kingdom and Arabian Peninsula.
The CDC details in its report that the virus, referred to as a coronavirus, has never been documented infecting humans until now, but that it does not appear as though there are any documented cases in the United States to date.
Scientists detailed that the new virus is part of the same type of virus that is responsible for causing the common cold as well as the very dangerous Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which first emerged in Asia in 2003, according to Reuters.
Since April of 2012, there have been a total of 14 people who have been confirmed to have contracted the new coronavirus, with nine of the cases being reported to have originated in Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Jordan, according to the CDC. There have been three cases documented in the U.K., with one reported fatality.
"In the U.K., an infected man likely spread the virus to two family members. He had recently traveled to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and got sick before returning to the U.K.," according to a CDC press release detailing the emergence of the new virus.
The CDC has issued a warning to anyone who may be traveling to any destination in or around the Arabian Peninsula, including Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to be aware of the new virus.
They advise anyone who has traveled to that region of the world and have experienced a fever or symptoms of a lower respiratory illness to seek immediate medical attention.