They are also only reporting one death total, which must be the Saudi man in June, so all four cases in the cluster are still alive? How could they have made this error? We had multiple sources mention two fatalities in the cluster. And the case that they just confirmed was previously reported to have died.
They are also only reporting one death total, which must be the Saudi man in June, so all four cases in the cluster are still alive? How could they have made this error? We had multiple sources mention two fatalities in the cluster. And the case that they just confirmed was previously reported to have died.
Or is the latest WHO report the incorrect one?
Unknown.
The latest official WHO GAR report dated November 23 says 2 deaths:
"Of the 6 laboratory confirmed cases reported to WHO, 4 cases (including 2 deaths) are from Saudi Arabia and 2 cases are from Qatar."
Details on third case
A team of Saudi and British authors provided details on the third novel coronavirus case, which was first announced by Saudi authorities Nov 4. The 45-year-old patient was hospitalized for 22 days and needed breathing support and hemodialysis before his eventual recovery, according to the report.
The article describes the patient as a heavy smoker who has type 2 diabetes, a history of ischemic heart disease, and only one functioning kidney.
Three days before his illness onset, the man visited a farm near his home and had brief contact with farm animals. The report does not mention any illness among the animals. The man had not traveled outside Riyadh before his illness, but he had been in contact with one of his children, who had a mild cold.
The patient fell ill on Oct 9, was seriously ill by Oct 12, and was moved to an intensive care unit (ICU) the next day. He needed breathing assistance for several days, and he received dialysis treatments for renal failure from Oct 15 to 23. He was finally released from the hospital Nov 4.
The man tested negative for a wide range of viruses and bacterial pathogens. But respiratory specimens tested positive for the novel coronavirus upE gene in two labs, a Saudi Arabian health ministry lab in Jeddah and the UK Health Protection Agency lab in Birmingham. The virus was not found in the patient's stool, plasma, or serum specimens.
The authors sequenced small pieces of two of the coronavirus genes from this case and the first case, which involved a Saudi Arabian man who died in June. They found that the sequences were identical to one another and to the same gene fragments from the second novel coronavirus case (the Qatari patient in London).
The authors comment that exposure to farm animals was identified as a risk factor in the first novel coronavirus case, but add that such exposures appear to be "an insignificant risk factor for cases 2 and 3."
As of 28 November 2012, seven confirmed and one probable case of novel coronavirus infection in humans are known to have occurred. These cases range in time from June through November 2012 and occurred in the areas around Jeddah and Riyadh of Saudi Arabia (which are about 850 km apart), and in Doha, Qatar. Infection with the virus appears to have been acquired locally in each of these situations. All of the patients were male but the significance of this is unknown.
Quote:
The clinical picture in all cases was an acute respiratory infection presenting with signs and symptoms of pneumonia. Of the seven confirmed cases, five developed acute renal failure and three of these died. The remaining two confirmed cases had pneumonia that required intensive support, without renal failure, and recovered. Three of the seven confirmed cases and the one probable case all belong to the same family and were living in the same household.
Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar: 7 confirmed cases due to novel animal coronavirus - 3 fatalities
Changing all the time.
According quoted Network (IRIN), a spokesman for the World Health Organization Thomas Glynn that and who said: It is based on our understanding of the virus so far, due to the strengthening of controls, we expect to report more cases, and confirm HIV infection. "
and added, "We also expect to see more cases in other countries.
explained that scientists organization working on a cause of the infection, and to ascertain whether the virus is transmitted from one person to another or not. http://dostor.org/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3...A7%D8%B1%D8%B3
Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar: 7 confirmed cases due to novel animal coronavirus - 3 fatalities
New SARS-related coronavirus claims a third life
The recommendations were revised two days later to say that five of the seven confirmed cases had “developed acute renal failure and three of these died.”
According to Thomas, the surveillance recommendations are in the process of being updated with clarifications on the number of cases. “Significant information” about the novel coronavirus will be announced on the WHO’s website, under the Disease Outbreak News section, Thomas said in an email Friday morning.
The WHO recommendations describe the clinical picture of the new coronavirus as an acute respiratory infection. All of the confirmed cases showed signs of pneumonia.. http://www.thestar.com/news/world/ar...s-a-third-life
Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar: 7 confirmed cases due to novel animal coronavirus - 3 fatalities
Novel coronavirus infection - update
30 NOVEMBER 2012 - In addition to the fatal case of novel coronavirus in Saudi Arabia reported to WHO on 28 November, two fatal cases in Jordan have been reported to WHO today, bringing the total of laboratory-confirmed cases to nine.
The latest confirmed case from Saudi Arabia occurred in October 2012 and is from the family cluster of the two cases confirmed earlier.
The two cases from Jordan occurred in April 2012. At that time, a number of severe pneumonia cases occurred in the country and the Ministry of Health (MOH) Jordan promptly requested a WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (NAMRU – 3) team to immediately assist in the laboratory investigation. The NAMRU-3 team went to Jordan and tested samples from this cluster of cases.
On 24 April 2012 the NAMRU-3 team informed the MOH that all samples had tested negative for known coronaviruses and other respiratory viruses. As the novel coronavirus had not yet been discovered, no specific tests for it were available.
In October 2012, after the discovery of the novel coronavirus, stored samples were sent by MOH Jordan to NAMRU-3. In November 2012 NAMRU-3 provided laboratory results that confirmed two cases of infection with the novel coronavirus.
The MOH Jordan has requested WHO assistance in investigating these infections. A mission from WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) and headquarters arrived in Amman on 28 November 2012 to assist in further epidemiological surveillance and to strengthen the sentinel surveillance systems for severe acute respiratory infections (SARIs).
In summary, to date a total of nine laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with the novel coronavirus have been reported to WHO – five cases (including 3 deaths) from Saudi Arabia, two cases from Qatar and two cases (both fatal) from Jordan.http://www.who.int/csr/don/2012_11_30/en/index.html
Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan: 9 confirmed cases due to novel animal coronavirus - 3-5 fatalities
Quote:
Originally Posted by Treyfish
At least 5 dead. The way the reporting is, we should hear of 5 more within a month or 2
Let us not forget that there are at least nine additional hospitalized contacts in the Jordan outbreak, that should now be considered probable infections.
This also moves the earliest onset in the outbreak back from June to early April, meaning this virus has been around for nearly 8 months, longer than the entire 2003 SARS outbreak.
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Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan: 9 confirmed cases due to novel animal coronavirus - 5 fatalities
It should be noted that SARS CoV was poorly transmissible, thus it was contained so easily.
This new nCoV has an unknown Reproductive Number as well as mode of transmission.
In hospital setting, it is likely that viral particles went airborne through aerosolization instruments or through biological fluids.
It remains highly questionable that the Jordan institutional outbreak was almost completely missed by Western media outlets despite local news coverage and the panic it caused.
Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan: 9 confirmed cases due to novel animal coronavirus - 5 fatalities
WHO confirms 2 more fatal cases of new virus in Jordan, possible virus spread between people
..The two cases date back to April and are part of a cluster of a dozen people who fell sick in Zarqa, Jordan. Officials are investigating whether the 10 other people sick in Zarqa also were infected and how it might have spread. Other cases of the virus have been spotted in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan: 9 confirmed cases due to novel animal coronavirus - 5 fatalities
WHO: 2 MORE CASES OF NEW VIRUS IN JORDAN
LONDON (AP) -- International health officials have confirmed two more fatal cases of a mysterious respiratory virus in the Middle East.
The virus has so far sickened nine people and killed five of them. The virus is related to SARS, which killed some 800 people in a global epidemic in 2003.
The two cases date back to April and are part of a cluster of a dozen people who fell sick in Zarqa, Jordan. Officials are investigating whether the 10 other people sick in Zarqa also were infected and how it might have spread. Other cases of the virus have been spotted in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
WHO doesn't know exactly how the virus spreads but said it couldn't exclude the possibility it was being transmitted from person to person.
Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan: 9 confirmed cases due to novel animal coronavirus - 5 fatalities
WHO confirms 2 more fatal cases of new virus in Jordan, possible virus spread between people
By: Maria Cheng, The Associated Press
LONDON - International health officials have confirmed two more fatal cases of a mysterious respiratory virus in the Middle East.
The virus has so far sickened nine people and killed five of them. The new disease is a coronavirus related to SARS, which killed some 800 people in a global epidemic in 2003, and belongs to a family of viruses that most often causes the common cold.
The two cases date back to April and are part of a cluster of a dozen people, mostly health workers, who fell sick in an intensive care unit at a hospital in Zarqa, Jordan. Officials are investigating whether the 10 other people who grew sick in Zarqa also were infected and how the virus might have spread. "It's too early to say whether human-to-human transmission occurred or not, but we certainly can't rule it out," said WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl. One of the Jordanian cases was a 40-year-old female. All of the other patients to date have been men. The new virus has so far been identified in patients from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Scientists haven't found any links between the sporadic cases of the coronavirus so far, first detected in September. "We don't know how the virus gets around and there are more questions than answers right now," Hartl said.
Several of the patients sickened by the new coronavirus have had rapid kidney failure and others have suffered severe pneumonia and respiratory illnesses. The virus is most closely related to a bat virus and scientists are also considering whether bats or animals like camels or goats are a possible source of infection.
Scientists are also considering whether fruit contaminated by animal droppings may have spread the virus. Still, not all of the cases had contact with animals and WHO said it was possible the virus was spread between humans in the Jordan hospital and in a cluster of cases in Saudi Arabia, where four members of the same family fell ill and two died.
WHO says the virus is probably more widespread than just the Middle East and recommended that countries test any people with unexplained pneumonia.http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bre...181561141.html
Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan: 9 confirmed cases due to novel animal coronavirus - 5 fatalities
The WHO said the two latest deaths were in Jordan. The disease had previously been detected only in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, although one patient was transferred to the UK for treatment.
It brings the total number of cases of the infection to nine.
There may also be evidence of human to human spread of the virus.
It causes pneumonia and sometimes kidney failure.
There was a series of severe cases of pneumonia in Jordan earlier in the year. However, the novel coronavirus had not been discovered at the time so did not appear in routine tests...
..How readily the virus spreads will be important for assessing how great a threat it poses.
The WHO said that, unlike Sars, the new coronavirus, "does not appear to transmit easily between people".
However, it warns that two clusters in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, "raise the possibility of limited human-to-human transmission" or they could have been exposed to the same source of the infection.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20554760
Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan: 9 confirmed cases due to novel animal coronavirus - 5 fatalities
Background and summary of novel coronavirus infection – as of 30 November 2012
Over the past two months, WHO has received reports of nine cases of human infection with a novel coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses; different members of this family cause illness in humans and animals. In humans, these illnesses range from the common cold to infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (SARS CoV).
Thus far, the cases reported have come from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. All patients were severely ill, and five have died.
The two Qatari patients are not linked. Both had severe pneumonia and acute renal failure. Both are now recovering.
A total of five confirmed cases have been reported from Saudi Arabia. The first two are not linked to each other; one of these has died. Three other confirmed cases are epidemiologically linked and occurred in one family living within the same household; two of these have died. One additional family member in this household also became ill, with symptoms similar to those of the confirmed cases. This person has recovered and tested negative, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, for the virus.
Two confirmed cases have been reported in Jordan. Both of these patients have died. These cases were discovered through testing of stored samples from a cluster of pneumonia cases that occurred in April 2012.
The two clusters (Saudi Arabia, Jordan) raise the possibility of limited human-to-human transmission or, alternatively, exposure to a common source. Ongoing investigation may or may not be able to distinguish between these possibilities.
The current understanding of this novel virus is that it can cause a severe, acute respiratory infection presenting as pneumonia. Acute renal failure has also occurred in five cases.
WHO recognizes that the emergence of a new coronavirus capable of causing severe disease raises concerns because of experience with SARS. Although this novel coronavirus is distantly related to the SARS CoV, they are different. Based on current information, it does not appear to transmit easily between people, unlike the SARS virus.
WHO has closely monitored the situation since detection of the first case and has been working with partners to ensure a high degree of preparedness should the new virus be found to be sufficiently transmissible to cause community outbreaks. Some viruses are able to cause limited human-to-human transmission under condition of close contact, as occurs in families, but are not transmissible enough to cause larger community outbreaks.
Actions taken by WHO in coordination with national authorities and technical partners include the following:
Investigations are ongoing to determine the likely source of infection and the route of exposure. Close contacts of confirmed cases are being identified and followed up.
An interim surveillance recommendation has been updated to assist clinicians to determine which patients should undergo laboratory testing for the presence of novel coronavirus.
Laboratory assays for the virus have been developed. Reagents and other materials for testing are available, as are protocols, algorithms and reference laboratory services. WHO has activated its laboratory network to assist in testing and other services. WHO has also issued preliminary guidance for laboratory biorisk management.
Guidance is available for infection control.
Based on the current situation and available information:
WHO encourages all Member States to continue their surveillance for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and to carefully review any unusual patterns.
Further, testing for the new coronavirus of patients with unexplained pneumonias should be considered, especially in persons residing in or returning from the Arabian peninsula and neighboring countries. Any new cases should be promptly reported both to national health authorities and to WHO.
In addition, any clusters of SARI or SARI in health care workers should be thoroughly investigated, regardless of where in the world they occur. These investigations will help determine whether the virus is distributed more widely in the human population beyond the three countries that have identified cases.
WHO does not advise special screening at points of entry with regard to this event nor does it recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied.
WHO continues to work with Member States and international health partners to gain a better understanding of the novel coronavirus and the disease in humans and will continue to provide updated information. As the situation evolves, WHO will reassess its guidance and revise it accordingly.http://www.who.int/csr/disease/coron...e_20121130/en/
Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan: 9 confirmed cases due to novel animal coronavirus - 5 fatalities
Epidemiological update: novel coronavirus
30 Nov 2012
ECDC
On 30 November WHO updated the number of confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus which has been temporarily named hCoV-EMC. Between April 2012 and 30 November 2012, nine confirmed cases of infection with the novel coronavirus (of whom five died) have been reported to WHO, according to its case definitions. Severe acute respiratory disease was the common presentation of all cases.
Five of the confirmed cases reside in Saudi Arabia (including three fatalities) two in Qatar and two in Jordan. Three of the confirmed cases from Saudi Arabia are from the same family household and there is also a fourth probable case. The second cluster with two confirmed cases (both fatal) has been retrospectively identified among eleven persons who became ill with acute respiratory disease in Jordan already in April 2012.
Two of the cases were diagnosed after being transferred to Europe for further medical care.
The reservoir and route of transmission of this virus has not been identified but all cases were reported from the Arabian Peninsula.
The detection of two clusters could indicate limited person-to-person transmission or exposure to a common source. However, only careful investigation can help to distinguish between those two.
On 26 November 2012, ECDC updated the Rapid Risk Assessment on severe respiratory disease associated with the novel coronavirus. The updated information from WHO at present does not change the conclusions of this assessment. ECDC conducted a survey on the laboratory capacity testing in EU/EEA member states in coordination with WHO Regional Office for Europe and the results are expected to be available next week.
On 28 November, WHO updated the Interim surveillance recommendations for human infection with novel coronavirus.
Healthcare professionals should be aware of the possibility of seeing patients matching the WHO case definition. Any probable or confirmed case being diagnosed in the EU/EEA area should be reported to the national authorities and then through the Early Warning Response System (EWRS) also to the Event Information Site of the WHO International Health Regulations. ECDC will continue to closely follow developments.
Read more on ECDC website:
Rapid Risk Assessment: Severe respiratory disease associated with a novel coronavirus, 26 September 2012
Epidemiological update on third confirmed case of novel coronavirus, 6 November 2012
Rapid Risk Assessment: Severe respiratory disease associated with a novel coronavirus of 24 Sep 2012
External websites:
RKI: Press Release on a case of Novel Coronavirus diagnosed in Germany
WHO: Novel Coronavirus; Novel coronavirus infection - update
UK: Genetic sequence information for scientists about the novel coronavirus 2012
Recent Eurosurveillance article:
The United Kingdom public health response to an imported laboratory confirmed case of a novel coronavirus in September 2012http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/press/news/...ews/Lists/News
Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan: 9 confirmed cases due to novel animal coronavirus - 5 fatalities
Coronavirus caused infections as early in April, tests show
Helen Branswell, The Canadian Press
Published Friday, Nov. 30, 2012 2:39PM EST
TORONTO -- The World Health Organization has reported two additional cases of infection with the new coronavirus, the earliest on record.
The agency says retrospective testing of stored samples show two people who died in Jordan in April were infected with the virus, which is from the same virus family as SARS.
Prior to this the first known case had been a man from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, who fell ill and died in June.
The new report from the WHO brings to nine the number of confirmed infections with the new virus, of which five cases have been fatal.
When it came to light that a new coronavirus was causing severe human illnesses in the Middle East, questions were raised about an outbreak of severe pneumonia cases that had occurred in Jordan in April.
At the time health officials were not able to diagnose what was causing the illnesses, but stored samples from two of the patients tested positive recently for the new coronavirus.
In a statement issued Friday, the WHO says Jordan's ministry of health has asked the global health agency for assistance in investigating the infections.
A team from WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office and from WHO headquarters arrived in the Jordanian capital, Amman on Wednesday to help with studies aimed at trying to trace the source of infection and strengthen capacity to spot new cases.
A potentially worrisome aspect of the Jordanian outbreak is that it involved health-care workers. Health-care workers can be unwitting sentinels in disease outbreaks, picking up infections from patients that they treat. If health-care workers become infected, that can often -- though not always -- be a sign a pathogen can spread from person to person.
To date there has been no sign of sustained person-to-person spread of the virus, though there was a recent cluster of three and possibly four family members who got sick in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Two of them died.
The Jordanian cases may signal spread from patients to health-care workers happened there. But it's too soon to conclude that, said WHO spokesperson Gregory Hartl, who noted the health-care workers and the patients could have been infected for a common -- and as yet unidentified -- source. "Even if the cases in Jordan were human-to-human spread -- and we don't know that -- it wasn't sustained," Hartl said in an interview from Geneva. He noted that there has been no sign of spread to health-care workers in Saudia Arabia or Qatar, the two other countries that have had cases, nor in London or Germany, where two of the cases have been treated.
Hartl said with cases popping up over large distances in three different countries, and over months, much work remains to be done to figure out what is going on. "There are a lot of holes still to be filled in," he said.
The WHO has asked countries to be on the lookout for possible cases in people with unexplained severe infections who have recently returned from or lived in countries in the Arabian Peninsula, or surrounding countries.
To date the case count is as follows: Jordan, two, both fatal; Saudi Arabia, five, three fatal and Qatar, two.
A report on the outbreak -- noted in a weekly disease report from the European Centre for Disease Control in May -- said seven nurses and a doctor were among 11 cases identified in the outbreak at a hospital in Zarqa, Jordan. http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronav...show-1.1060942
Ali M. AlBarrak, Gwen M. Stephens, Roger Hewson, Ziad A. Memish
ABSTRACT
We describe the third confirmed case of novel coronavirus infection in a resident of the Arabian Peninsula. Our patient presented, as did 2 prior cases, with severe pneumonia and renal dysfunction requiring intensive care support including assisted ventilation. However, unlike the earlier cases, and despite underlying chronic disease and a single kidney, he survived his infection and has been discharged home. The Ministry of Health continues active surveillance for additional cases. As this case report goes to press, 2 additional confirmed cases have been identified in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Contact investigations are in progress. Future work will focus not only on the origin of the virus and mechanisms of transmission, but also the host factors that influence pathogenesis and prognosis.
Saudi Medical Journal 2012; Vol. 33 (12): 1265-1269
From the Department of Internal Medicine (AlBarrak), Infectious Disease Division, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, the Public Health Directorate (Stephens, Memish), Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Health Protection Agency (Hewson), Porton Down, Salisbury, United Kingdom.
Address correspondence and reprint request to: Dr. Ziad A. Memish, Ministry of Health, Riyadh 11176, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tel. +966 (1) 2124052. Fax. +966 (1) 2125052. E-mail: zmemish@yahoo.com
Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan: 9 confirmed cases due to novel animal coronavirus - 5 fatalities
The head of Rospotrebnadzor Russia warns of SARS in the Middle East
02/12/2012, 16:32
The head of Rospotrebnadzor, Russian doctor Gennady Onishchenko advised when planning winter do not forget the case of acute pneumonia (SARS) in the Middle East. Interview, "Interfax," Onishchenko said the number of patients with SARS in China East has developed den9: 2 people in Jordan, five in Saudi Arabia and two in Qatar. In Jordan and Saudi Arabia have deaths. World Health Organization of the United Nations assessment of the spread and not made barriers to international travel and trade. However, Mr. Onishchenko warned the Russians are prepared to travel the Middle East should remember about the situation in the region. Previously doctor Onishchenko advised people to winter holidays and New Year holidays in Russia, and if you go abroad, do not forget the precautions. http://vietnamese.ruvr.ru/2012_12_02/96618865/
Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan: 9 confirmed cases due to novel animal coronavirus - 5 fatalities
Frequently Asked Questions on novel coronavirus
2 December 2012
What is the novel coronavirus?
This is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are known to cause illness in humans and animals. In humans, this large family of viruses are known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
What are the symptoms of novel coronavirus?
In confirmed cases of illness in humans, common symptoms have been acute, serious respiratory illness with fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties. Based on current clinical experience, the infection generally presents as pneumonia. It has caused kidney failure and death in some cases. It is important to note that the current understanding of the illness caused by this infection is based on a limited number of cases and may change as more information becomes available.
Can it be transmitted from person to person?
This is not known with certainty at this time. The cases occurring in the same family raises the possibility of limited human-to-human transmission. Alternatively, it is possible that the infected family members were exposed to the same source of infection, for example, in a household or workplace.
How could I become infected with this virus?
To date, we do not know how humans have become infected with this virus. Investigations are underway to determine the virus source, types of exposure that lead to infection, mode of transmission and the clinical pattern and course of disease.
Is there a vaccine for the novel coronavirus?
There is no vaccine currently available.
Is there a treatment for the novel coronavirus?
There is no specific treatment for disease caused by novel coronavirus. However, many of the symptoms caused by this virus can be treated and therefore treatment should be based on the symptoms of the patient.
What can I do to protect myself?
Exactly how people become infected with this virus is not known at this time. However, some general measures that would be prudent and help prevent the acquisition of any respiratory illness are to avoid close contact, when possible, with anyone who shows symptoms of illness (coughing and sneezing), and to maintain good hand hygiene.
How many people have been infected by the novel coronavirus?
It is unknown how widespread this virus may be.
WHO is encouraging Member States to continue to closely monitor for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and to carefully review any unusual patterns of SARI or pneumonia. WHO will continue to share information as it is made available.
Are health workers at risk from the novel coronavirus?
Health care workers come into contact with patients with many different infectious illnesses more often than the general public. Therefore WHO recommends that health care workers consistently apply appropriate infection prevention and control measures. http://www.who.int/csr/disease/coron.../en/index.html
Is the novel coronavirus like SARS?
SARS is a coronavirus that was identified in 2003 and belongs to the same large family of viruses as the novel coronavirus. Therefore, SARS and the novel coronavirus are distantly related. Both viruses are capable of causing severe disease. However, they have important differences based on current information. Most importantly, the novel coronavirus does not appear to transmit easily between people while the SARS virus was much more transmissible.
Is it true that this novel coronavirus originated from bats?
This is one possibility but the origin of the virus has not yet been established.
Can humans become infected with novel coronavirus from animals? If so, which ones should we be concerned about?
WHO is closely monitoring the situation to identify how people are being exposed. There is currently no direct evidence that the human cases were exposed through direct contact with animals.
How is WHO responding to the emergence of this novel coronavirus?
Since the emergence of this virus, WHO has been working under the International Health Regulations to provide information to Member States. WHO is also working with involved countries and international partners to coordinate the global health response, including the provision of updated information on the situation, guidance to health authorities and technical health agencies on interim surveillance recommendations, laboratory testing of cases, infection control, and clinical management, based on the current understanding of the novel virus and the disease in humans.
WHO will continue to work with Member States and international health partners and share updated information as it is made available.
What is WHO recommending countries do?
WHO encourages all Member States to enhance their surveillance for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and to carefully review any unusual patterns of SARI or pneumonia cases.
WHO urges Member States to notify or verify to WHO any suspected or confirmed case of infection with novel coronavirus.
Has WHO recommended any travel or trade restrictions related to this new virus?
No. WHO does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions with respect to this event. WHO will continue to provide updated information as it is available.
NOVEL CORONAVIRUS- EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (06): COMMENTS
************************************************** *****
A ProMED-mail post http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases http://www.isid.org
We would like to comment on 2 epidemiologic issues included in recent postings regarding the 2012 novel coronavirus (nCoV):
1. Failure (to date) of nCoV to transmit easily or sustainably between people.
This has been cited as an epidemiologic feature distinguishing nCoV from the 2003 SARS CoV. It is worth remembering, however, that despite being a substantial global concern, SARS CoV was also not generally very transmissible. [1] It required certain conditions of close contact (hospital or household) or facilitated transmission (aerosol generating procedures) to achieve person-to-person spread and was strikingly a nosocomial-associated infection throughout. SARS CoV did not ultimately achieve the status of a pandemic, failing to exhibit widespread community transmission in most countries. Low inherent transmissibility combined with a delay in peak infectivity until well into the course of serious illness may explain why SARS was primarily a nosocomial infection; why so few countries experienced outbreaks; and why it could ultimately be extinguished. Seasonality may have also played a role. [1]
2. The "index case" for the April 2012 Jordan nCoV cluster could not be determined.
The index case in an epidemiologic investigation is the 1st recognized case. Lessons learned from SARS instead emphasize the importance of "Patient Zero", the 1st case whether initially recognized or not. [2] While this may seem a matter of semantics, the distinction has implications for the prevention of onward transmission. Mathematical models for SARS, incorporating contact network theory, have stressed the importance of Patient Zero in predicting epidemic likelihood -- determined by the transmissibility of the agent, the number of contacts of Patient Zero, and the number of people infected between Patient Zero (the 1st case) and intervention on the index case (the 1st recognized case). [3]
Patient Zero thus tests the baseline capacity of a system to respond to emerging threats before they are known or recognized. [2]
As such, Patient Zero commands advance and ongoing attention to infection control precautions in the management of all SARI [severe acute respiratory illness], notably that of unknown etiology; emphasizes the need for strong, well-coordinated surveillance systems, with particular vigilance for clusters involving health care workers as signal if not incipient events; and underscores the need for efficient communication networks to disseminate public health alerts and enhance awareness before additional cases or clusters occur.
References
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1. Skowronski DM, Astell C, Brunham RC, et al: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS): A year in review. Annu Rev Med 2005; 56: 357-81. Doi: 10.1146/annurev.med.56.091103.134135. [Abstract available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15660517].
3. Meyers LA, Pourbohloul B, Newman MEJ, Skowronski DM, Brunham RC: Network theory and SARS: predicting outbreak diversity. J Theor Biol 2005; 232(1): 71-81. [Abstract available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15498594].
--
Danuta Skowronski MD, FRCPC
Naveed Z Janjua MBBS, DrPH
Influenza & Emerging Respiratory Pathogens Team
BC Centre for Disease Control
Canada
[ProMED-mail would like to thank Drs Skowronski and Janjua for their comments and observations on epidemiological issues related to this novel organism.
We are currently very early in our understanding of the epidemiology of this organism, including understanding what the mechanism of exposure and subsequent transmission of this organism to humans is, as it is genetically most closely related to a bat coronavirus seen in Hong Kong. If one postulates that the organism has not as yet evolved into an efficient person-to-person transmitted organism, then a key piece of information necessary at present is finding out the reservoir of the organism (? bats in the countries where human cases have occurred) and how these "species jumps" are occurring -- are the bats transmitting this organism (the nCoV) to another animal that is in the food chain so that humans then have contact with contaminated bodily fluids (similar to the situation with the SARS coronavirus and civet cats)? Or perhaps, as ProMED-mail subscriber Merritt Clifton has postulated, are these bats contaminating fruit with infected saliva that is then ingested by people in the area (similar to the transmission of Nipah virus in Bangladesh)? Hence, identification of the index case(s) in these clusters might help address these questions (as well as studies on the prevalence of the nCoV in bats and other animals having contact with people in the affected areas. - Mod.MPP]
Case of novel coronavirus identified in the UK - co-infection with H1N1pdm09
Case of novel coronavirus identified in the UK
11 February 2013 The Health Protection Agency (HPA) can confirm the diagnosis of a further case of novel coronavirus infection in a UK resident, who had recently travelled to the Middle East and Pakistan. The patient is receiving intensive care treatment in a Manchester hospital. This latest case brings the total number of confirmed cases globally to 10, of which two have been diagnosed in the UK.
Professor John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases department at the HPA, said: "The HPA is providing advice to healthcare workers to ensure the patient under investigation is being treated appropriately and that healthcare staff who are looking after the patient are protected. Contacts of the case are also being followed up to check on their health.
“Our assessment is that the risk associated with novel coronavirus to the general UK population remains extremely low and the risk to travellers to the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding countries remains very low. No travel restrictions are in place but people who develop severe respiratory symptoms, such as shortness of breath, within ten days of returning from these countries should seek medical advice and mention which countries they have visited.
“Since the first case of novel coronavirus was diagnosed in the UK in September 2012, the HPA has maintained increased vigilance for illness caused by this virus, working closely with national and international authorities including the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). We have also produced updated guidance for health professionals in the UK on the investigation and management of possible cases.”
Professor Maria Zambon, director of reference microbiology services at the HPA, said: “A battery of laboratory tests have been developed by the HPA to test for coronavirus infection when cases of severe respiratory illness are identified, which are not explained by other infectious causes. These tests, which detect the presence of virus in the body, are available for use by selected frontline HPA laboratories.
“In mid-November the HPA published the full genome sequence from the first UK patient, enabling scientists around the world to understand more about the diversity of this virus. This will help with efforts to determine the origin of the virus and develop strategies for treatment and prevention.”
Coronaviruses are causes of the common cold but can also include more severe illness, such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). 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.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. Laboratory confirmed cases to date: 10
Saudi Arabia: 5 (3 deaths)
Jordan: 2 (2 deaths)
UK: 2 (1 patient from Qatar – receiving treatment, 1 patient from UK – receiving treatment)
Germany: 1 (patient from Qatar – discharged) http://www.hpa.org.uk/NewsCentre/Nat...aviruspatient/
Re: Case of novel coronavirus identified in the UK
Second UK case of 'Sars-like' coronavirus identified
11 February 2013 Last updated at 09:08 ET
By Michelle Roberts
Health editor, BBC News online
A second case of a new respiratory illness similar to the deadly Sars virus has been identified in the UK.
The patient, who is receiving intensive care treatment in a Manchester hospital, had recently travelled to the Middle East and Pakistan.
Doctors insist the risk of the new coronavirus spreading to the general UK population is "extremely low" and the situation is being closely monitored.
The total number of confirmed cases globally now stands at 10.
The death toll is five - three patients treated in Saudi Arabia and two treated in Jordan.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses ranging from the common cold to the Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus, spread through droplets of body fluids produced by sneezing and coughing.
In 2002 an outbreak of Sars killed about 800 people after the virus spread to more than 30 countries around the world.
The new coronavirus was first identified in September 2012 in a patient in Saudi Arabia who has since died.
Soon after, officials identified another case - this time in the UK. The 49-year-old man in question had been transferred to St Thomas' hospital in London by air ambulance from Qatar.
Five months on, a second UK case has been found.
Prof John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases department at the Health Protection Agency (HPA), said: "The HPA is providing advice to healthcare workers to ensure the patient under investigation is being treated appropriately and that healthcare staff who are looking after the patient are protected. Contacts of the case are also being followed up to check on their health."
No travel restrictions are in place.
But Prof Watson said people who developed severe respiratory symptoms, such as shortness of breath, within 10 days of returning from the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding regions should seek medical advice and mention the countries they have visited.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21410190?
Re: Case of novel coronavirus identified in the UK
UK resident in intensive care after contracting potentially fatal SARS-like virus
By ANNA HODGEKISS
PUBLISHED: 09:38 EST, 11 February 2013
A UK resident is in intensive care after contracting a potentially fatal Sars-like virus.
The unnamed patient, who has recently travelled to the Middle East and Pakistan, is being treated in a Manchester hospital after becoming infected with a new type of coronavirus, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said.
The latest case brings the total number of confirmed cases across the world to 10, the HPA added...
Professor John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases department at the HPA, said: 'The HPA is providing advice to healthcare workers to ensure the patient under investigation is being treated appropriately and that healthcare staff who are looking after the patient are protected. Contacts of the case are also being followed up to check on their health.
'Our assessment is that the risk associated with novel coronavirus to the general UK population remains extremely low and the risk to travellers to the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding countries remains very low.
'No travel restrictions are in place but people who develop severe respiratory symptoms, such as shortness of breath, within 10 days of returning from these countries should seek medical advice and mention which countries they have visited.'
Re: Case of novel coronavirus identified in the UK
New SARS-like virus infects British patient in 10th case globally
Mon Feb 11, 2013 9:22am EST
(Reuters) - A new virus from the same family as SARS that sparked a global alert last September has been found in a further patient in Britain, health officials said on Monday.
This latest case of infection with the new virus known as a coronavirus brings the total number of confirmed cases globally to 10, of which five have died.
The British patient, who had recently traveled to the Middle East and Pakistan, is receiving intensive care treatment in hospital in Manchester, northern England.
The new virus shares some of the symptoms of SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - a coronavirus which emerged in China in 2002 and killed about a tenth of the 8,000 people it infected worldwide. The symptoms include severe respiratory illness, fever, coughing and breathing difficulties.
The virus was identified when the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued an international alert in September 2012 saying a virus previously unknown in humans had infected a Qatari man who had recently been in Saudi Arabia.
Britain's Health Protection Agency (HPA) said among the 10 laboratory confirmed cases to date, five had been in Saudi Arabia, with three deaths; two were in Jordan, where both patients died; two were in Britain, where both are receiving treatment; and one was in Germany in a patient from Qatar who had since been discharged from medical care.
The agency said in a statement on Monday it was providing advice to ensure the latest British patient was treated appropriately and healthcare staff were protected.
People who have had contact with the patient are also being tracked to check on their health.
"Our assessment is that the risk associated with novel coronavirus to the general UK population remains extremely low and the risk to travelers to the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding countries remains very low," the HPA said.
Coronaviruses are typically spread like other respiratory infections, such as flu, travelling in airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Re: Case of novel coronavirus identified in the UK
..A UK resident is in intensive care after contracting a potentially fatal Sars-like virus, health experts confirm.
The man, who is critically ill with breathing problems, has been isolated in a Manchester hospital while he receives treatment for "novel coronavirus".Half of the people known to have been infected with the bug so far have died.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) believes he picked up the lung virus while travelling to the Middle East and Pakistan.
It says the risk to people in the UK is "very low".
Professor John Watson, the agency's head of respiratory diseases, said: "The HPA is providing advice to healthcare workers to ensure the patient is being treated appropriately and that staff who are looking after the patient are protected.
"Contacts of the case are also being followed up to check on their health."
The man is being treated in the intensive care unit at Wythenshawe Hospital.
University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said in a statement: "Our staff already follow strict guidelines on treating patients with unknown illnesses and have been wearing personal protective equipment at all times since their initial contact.
"Visitors are being limited and they too will follow strict safety guidelines."http://news.sky.com/story/1050646/uk...ars-like-virus
Re: Case of novel coronavirus identified in the UK
The UK resident returned from Saudi Arabia at the end of last month before falling ill on January 31st.
He was transferred to Wythenshawe at some point in the last few days after being infected with a new type of coronavirus.
The latest case of the condition is only the second confirmed in the UK, and the tenth worldwide. All those that have contracted the disease had recently visited the Middle East.
The HPA says there the man's family is showing no symptoms of the virus, and confirmed there is so far no evidence to suggest it can be passed from person-to-personhttp://www.itv.com/news/granada/upda...y-fatal-virus/
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Re: Saudi Arabia, Qatar: 6 confirmed cases (2 fatal) due to novel animal coronavirus
Case of novel coronavirus identified in the UK - co-infection with H1N1pdm09
"Our staff already follow strict guidelines on treating patients with unknown illnesses and have been wearing personal protective equipment at all times since their initial contact.
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