France's Health department yesterday has recorded the first official case of the new SARS like virus already observed in the U.K. and believed to have its origin in the Arabian peninsula, where more than 11 fatal cases have been tallied so far.
The WHO has not issued a travel ban or restrictions from Saudi Arabia, since the number of cases is still very small.
However, this new case poses some interesting questions. The person who is infected with the virus contracted it during a visit to the United Arab Emirates, which would signify that the virus is present in many more locales that previously thought and that it might have a long incubation period.
Other cases have also been reported or suspected in Germany and Jordan.
The new SARS like virus is yet to be properly identified in terms of its virality. However, so far it is not as viral as the one that causes the worldwide epidemic ten years ago.
But one thing that this virus does have in similarity with its earlier 'ancestor' is that the virus is able to infect tissue deep in the lungs, and it has a novel complication, kidney failure, which makes the prognosis for infected people more problematic.
Although the WHO has asked countries to keep a close eye on any developments on the virus and to closely monitor the number of cases, it yet does not have sufficient information to predict the virus' behavior or spread.
Partial Source : France 24/ 5.8.13
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