Why The U.S. Is Worried About A Deadly Middle Eastern Virus
The latest medical acronym to fear is MERS: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. The virus has killed 83 people in the Arabian Gulf since first emerging in 2012 and now looks as if it could pose a global threat.
This week, the number of new cases rose at a rate that causes concern, the World Health Organization said in a statement.
There have been only about 300 cases detected worldwide in the past two years. But Saudi Arabia has reported more than 50 in just four days. Cases also turned up in Greece, the Philippines, Malaysia and Jordan. All of the patients were exposed to the virus in the Gulf.
There's no treatment or vaccine for MERS, which kills about 30 percent of those who are infected.
The disease hits like a severe flu. Symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath. Most people who die have another medical condition. It's also possible for someone to become infected but show no symptoms.
Many of the new cases occurred in health care facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to the World Health Organization's Eastern Mediterranean office.
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