The novel coronavirus that has raised alerts by the WHO in both Europe and the Middle East, seems to have again being transmitted from human to human, reiterating the need for additional measures to be taken to stop its spread.
The first case of human to human transmission occurred in France, at a Lille hospital, where an elderly man returning from Saudi Arabia was infected with the disease and passed it on to his room mate in the hospital ward.
This time, the human to human infection occurred in Saudi Arabia, between an infected man and his caretakers at a hospital. Two of the hospital staff tending to the patient have come down with the disease. One of them is in critical condition.
The WHO has suggested giving the new virus a name, so as not to be confused with the old SARS strain, which made 800 victims years ago.
The proposed name is MERS, for middle eastern respiratory syndrome.
Experts however are cautiously and with some apprehension assessing the novel coronavirus' ability to spread from person to person.
For one, the virus has not been traced to any source, so its origin is still completely unknown.
The WHO has certified 40 cases since September, of whom 20 died. However, the pace of the infections seem to be quickening. And there is suspicion that health workers might have contracted it in a hospital in Jordan, where more cases have been recorded.
This new incident of transmission could signal a new phase in the virus' spread. It seems in fact, that the virus is becoming more transmissible from human to human, and that it has mutated to a higher virality.
Source : Xinhua 5.17.13
No comments:
Post a Comment