Deadly New Virus Warning Issued After Eight Deaths

A deadly new virus has sickened more than a dozen people and killed eight in the Arabian peninsula and the United Kingdom, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of the total number, seven cases, including five deaths, have been reported from Saudi Arabia.

The coronaviruses is a large family of viruses that can cause mild symptoms from the common cold to SARS. This particular strain of coronavirus  — Novel Coronavirus— has not been previously identified in humans. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is limited information on transmission, severity and clinical impact with only a small number of cases reported so far. 

Coronavirus caused SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), which became a global epidemic in 2003.  Novel Coronavirus is not the same Coronavirus that causes SARS, says the CDC.  There have been no confirmed SARS cases since 2004.

This new coronavirus was first identified in September 2012 in a patient who died from a severe respiratory infection in June 2012. The virus has so far only been identified in a small number of cases of acute, serious respiratory illness who presented with fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties.

In the United Kingdom, the virus was likely spread between family members, which provides evidence of person-to-person transmission, reports the UK’s Health Protection Agency. The family member became ill after a trip to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

There have not been any travel health warnings issues related to Novel Coronavirus.

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