First Camel Tests Positive for MERS Virus, Says Saudi Government

A camel has tested positive for MERS, recording the first case of animal infected with the coronavirus that has killed 64 people worldwide, says the Saudi government.

A camel owned by a person diagnosed with the disease had "tested positive in preliminary laboratory checks," the health ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.

Two New Cases of MERS Virus Reported in Saudi
Saudi Arabia has reported two new cases of the MERS virus, says the health ministry.

The ministry said it was working with the ministry of agriculture and laboratories to "isolate the virus and compare its genetic structure with that of the patient's".

If the virus carried by the camel and that of the patient "prove to be identical, this would be a first scientific discovery worldwide, and a door to identify the source of the virus," it added.

In August, researchers pointed to Arabian camels as possible hosts of the SARS-like virus, which has hit hardest in the desert kingdom, where 53 people have died from the disease.

First Case of Deadly MERS Coronavirus in Spain
A woman who has just returned from Saudi Arabia has been infected by the MERS coronavirus in the Spain's first case of the disease.

Like SARS, MERS appears to cause a lung infection, with patients suffering from a temperature, cough and breathing difficulty.

Possible New Case of Deadly MERS Virus Reported in France
A person who had just returned from Saudi Arabia was most probably infected by the deadly MERS coronavirus, in what would be the third such case reported in France, officials said Tuesday.

But it differs in that it also causes rapid kidney failure and the extremely high death rate has caused serious concern.

Source-AFP

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