Worldwide: 24 confirmed cases due to novel animal nCoV coronavirus - 16 fatalities - September 20, 2012 - May 2, 2013

[alert]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/doctors-battle-to-keep-man-with-deadly-sars-virus-alive-8175088.html

Doctors battle to keep man with deadly 'Sars' virus alive

25 September 2012

A man who contracted a potentially fatal Sars-like virus has been connected to an artificial lung to keep him alive.

The 49-year-old, from Qatar, is being treated in an intensive care unit at St Thomas' hospital in London after he became infected with a new type of coronavirus.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said that the man, who is in isolation, is receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (Ecmo) treatment, which delivers oxygen to the blood outside the body when the lungs are not able to. It also continuously pumps blood into and around the body.

The man, who was suffering from acute respiratory syndrome and renal failure, was admitted to an intensive care unit in Doha, Qatar, on September 7. He was transferred to the UK by air ambulance on September 11.

Before he became ill he had travelled to Saudi Arabia, a World Health Organisation spokesman said.

[snip]

[sharon sanders]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

The above is VERY unfortunate naming. It is clear that this virus is NOT flu or SARS, but naming the virus the "London" coronavirus is a horrible idea and precisely what we fought hard to avoid doing with the 2009 flu pandemic. This virus should not get a geographical name, as it might hurt tourism to London (where no transmission is suspected to have occurred), or stigmatize British people around the world....

I agree 100%.

Diseases should not be named after geographical places. It is inhumane.

[Treyfish]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

Novel coronavirus infection - update

25 SEPTEMBER 2012 -

As of 25 September 2012, no additional cases of acute respiratory syndrome with renal failure due to infection with a novel coronavirus have been reported to WHO. WHO is continuing investigations into two recently confirmed infections identified as a novel coronavirus. Today WHO issued an interim case definition to help countries strengthen health protection measures against the new virus.

The case definition, based on the cases so far, includes criteria for identifying a ‘patient under investigation’, a ‘probable case’ and a ‘confirmed case’. These criteria are based on clinical, epidemiological and laboratory indicators.

Following the confirmation of the novel coronavirus, WHO - under the International Health Regulations - immediately alerted all its Member States about the virus and has been leading the coordination and providing guidance to health authorities and technical health agencies. WHO is also identifying a network of laboratories that can provide expertise on coronaviruses for countries.

On 22 September 2012, the United Kingdom (UK) informed WHO of a case of acute respiratory syndrome with travel history to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Qatar.

The case is a previously healthy, 49 year-old male Qatari national that presented with symptoms on 3 September 2012 with travel history to KSA several days prior to onset of illness. On 7 September he was admitted to an intensive care unit in Doha, Qatar. On 11 September, he was transferred to the UK by air ambulance from Qatar. The Health Protection Agency of the UK (HPA) conducted laboratory testing and subsequently confirmed the presence of the novel coronavirus.

The HPA compared the sequencing of the virus isolate from the 49 year-old Qatari national with that of a virus sequenced previously by the Erasmus University Medical Centre, Netherlands. This latter isolate was obtained from lung tissue of a fatal case earlier this year in a 60 year-old Saudi national. This comparison indicated 99.5% identity, with one nucleotide mismatch over the regions compared.

Though it is a very different virus to SARS, given the severity of the two confirmed cases so far, WHO is engaged in further characterizing the novel coronavirus. As such, international efforts are being stepped up across all WHO six regions to ensure an appropriate and effective response with a WHO specialist team in daily contact with more than a dozen international and regional technical partners.

In addition WHO is working closely with KSA, as in previous years, to support the country’s health measures for all visitors participating in the Haji pilgrimage to Mecca next month.

For more details:

http://www.who.int/influenza/case_definition_NovelCoronavirus_20120925/en/index.html

http://www.who.int/ith/updates/20120730/en/index.html http://www.who.int/csr/don/2012_09_25/en/index.html

[Treyfish]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

Qatar confirm they are free of the SARS virus
Source: Doha, Riyadh - Anwar al-Khatib and agencies
Date: September 26, 2012
While Doha denied the spread of any infectious viruses in Qatar, after the announcement of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Qatari citizen infected people like virus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) after returning from performing Umrah in Saudi Arabia at the end of the last month of Ramadan .. Saudi authorities announced that it was monitoring the situation closely following the death of two people and wounding a third, a rare form of flu is similar to the SARS virus with the Hajj season approaches, stressing that it is limited to only two deaths in three months

.Denied, Director of Public Health Department at the Supreme Council of Health in Qatar's Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, the spread of any infectious viruses in Qatar. And confirmed during a press conference held the day before yesterday, it has been put on high alert monitoring system of infectious virus in Qatar (Surrey) in cooperation with the U.S. NAMRU lab to ensure follow up on any new cases may be suspected to be infected with the disease. He added that ?not yet expert discovers the reasons for the spread of the disease.http://www.albayan.ae/one-world/arab...9-26-1.1734662

[sharon sanders]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

Please also see this thread:

Denmark - Hospital confirms 5 suspected new coronavirus patients - Odense

[Pathfinder]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

Dr. Hamid, Minister of Health for Egypt says that the new coronavirus is not a problem for attending the Hajj. He recommends that pilgrams follow standard hygiene practices.

http://www.akhbar-today.com/tag/%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%85--%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%AD%D8%A9--%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3--%D9%83%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D8%A7-%D9%84%D8%A7-%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%AB%D9%84-%D8%A3%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%B4%D9%83%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%A9

[Giuseppe]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

[Source: World Health Organization, full page: (LINK). Edited.]

Case Definition for Case Finding, Severe Respiratory Disease associated with NOVEL CORONAVIRUS

Interim case definition as of 25 September 2012



Patient under investigation:

Clinical definition:

A person with acute respiratory syndrome which may include fever (≥ 38?C , 100.4?F) and cough

• requiring hospitalization

OR

• with suspicion of lower airway involvement (clinical or radiological evidence of consolidation) not explained by any other infection or any other aetiology.

AND

Epidemiological criteria:

Close contact* within the last 10 days before onset of illness

• with a probable or confirmed case of novel coronavirus infection while the case-contact was ill

OR

• travel to or residence in an area** where infection with novel coronavirus has recently been reported or where transmission could have occurred.

Probable Novel Coronavirus Case:

A person fitting the clinical definition AND epidemiological criteria above but no laboratory confirmation.



Confirmed Novel Coronavirus Case:

A person with laboratory confirmation of infection with the novel coronavirus.



* Close contact is defined as:

• Anyone who provided care for a confirmed or probable case including HCW and family members in a health care setting or in the community.
• Anyone who stayed at the same place (e.g. lived with, visited) as a probable or confirmed case while they have been symptomatic.
• Anyone with significant casual exposure with the patient such as sitting nearby in a classroom, sharing a taxi, sitting close by on an airplane.

** Area where infection with novel coronavirus where transmission could have occurred:

• Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar (as of 25 September 2012)

-
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[solitaire]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

INFECTION CONTROL ADVICE

SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED NOVEL
CORONAVIRUS CASES

Infection Control Advice: Suspected or Confirmed Novel

Coronavirus Cases : Version 1.1 September 25 2012

http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1317136232722

[Giuseppe]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

[Source: Government of Hong Kong PRC SAR, full text: (LINK).]

Government stays vigilant against novel coronavirus infection



The Government is preparing itself fully against the threat of the novel coronavirus infection in view of the recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) on overseas human cases of this disease in two patients from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Qatar and has been stepping up preventive and surveillance measures to protect public health.

Speaking at a media briefing today (September 26), the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), Dr Thomas Tsang, said that according to WHO, the novel coronavirus is different from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus, nonetheless, the CHP is taking this incident seriously as the evolution of the outbreak is uncertain.

"Although there is no suspected case in Hong Kong so far, the Government remains vigilant and has enhanced surveillance on multiple fronts."

"These include the setting up an enhanced surveillance mechanism with public and private hospitals, practising doctors and the airport for any suspected cases of novel coronavirus infection, especially among returning travellers from KSA or Qatar," said Dr Tsang, adding that Infection Control Guidance was also sent to private hospitals in case they admitted a suspected patient.

"To facilitate the reporting of this novel coronavirus by medical practitioners, we are making preparations to include it as a notifiable infectious disease under the law. The relevant legislative amendments are being consolidated," he said.

"Besides, we noted that the UK health authority has published partial gene sequence of the novel coronavirus and this will facilitate our laboratory confirmatory testing," he said. Dr Tsang reiterated that the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch under the CHP has the capacity to detect this virus within two days under normal circumstances.

Regarding the collaboration within government departments, the CHP has conducted an interdepartmental briefing on novel coronavirus infection to relevant government departments to keep them abreast of the latest development and gear up related preparations.

Turing to public communication, Dr Tsang said that letters had been issued to travel industry, airlines, schools and elderly homes, etc., to inform them of the latest situation and provide them with infection control guidance and related health advice.

In response to media reports on more overseas suspected cases, Dr Tsang said that the news has yet to be confirmed by the WHO, and the CHP will continue to liaise with international health partners to gather more information.

"The situation is dynamic and more developments may take place in the coming days and weeks, as more investigation findings come to light. We will update the public frequently," he concluded.


Ends/Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Issued at HKT 20:10
NNNN

- -------

[Giuseppe]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

INFECTION CONTROL ADVICE

SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED NOVEL
CORONAVIRUS CASES

Infection Control Advice: Suspected or Confirmed Novel

Coronavirus Cases : Version 1.1 September 25 2012

http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1317136232722

[Source: Health Protection Agency, United Kingdom, full PDF document: (LINK). Edited.]


INFECTION CONTROL ADVICE SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED NOVEL CORONAVIRUS CASES



This document outlines infection control and other general advice for personnel who may be involved in receiving and caring for patients, primarily within healthcare settings, who may be infected with a novel coronavirus. It should be used in conjunction with local policies.


In the absence of effective drugs or a vaccine, control of this disease relies on the appropriate management of cases, (including isolation of suspected and confirmed cases) and their close contacts. In preparation, healthcare facilities who may receive and care for any cases should:

Review their local policies and ensure that operational procedures are described and staff are familiar with them, for example where personal protective equipment is stored and how it should be used Ensure staff are aware of how to access surveillance forms from the HPA and any local record sheets etc Ensure that adequate supplies/equipment are available, including:

• supplies of FFP3 respirators
• Gloves - disposable and latex free alternatives, eg nitrile
• Gowns/Aprons - disposable fluid resistant full sleeve gowns and single-use plastic aprons
• Eye protection eg. tight fitting goggles or face shield - disposable, or if non disposable, with a wipeable surface, not with elastic straps
• Leak-proof, clinical waste disposal bags,
• Hand hygiene supplies.
• General-purpose detergent and disinfectant solutions Ensure that staff are aware of where a case will be isolated and the need for a negative pressure room Ensure that there is guidance available on actions to be taken if a case presents

Introduction

Coronaviruses are mainly transmitted by large respiratory droplets and direct or indirect contact with infected secretions. They can also be detected in faeces and urine and under certain circumstances airborne transmission can occur from aerosolised respiratory secretions and faecal material. As coronaviruses are enveloped a very wide range of disinfectants would be effective. Personal protective equipment and good infection control can be extremely useful but never completely eliminate risk as they are user dependent.


Record keeping: A record of all staff that have contact with a suspected/confirmed patient should be kept

Isolation Patients: who meet the current HPA case definition and present at the Emergency Department should be placed in a single room whilst awaiting assessment. Staff should wear protective clothing as detailed below. Rooms to be appropriately decontaminated before being used again (see below: Cleaning)


Patients requiring admission should be admitted directly to negative-pressure single rooms. If this is not possible then a single room with en-suite facilities should be used. Positive pressure single rooms should not be used . Room doors should be kept closed. If on a critical care unit, nurse patient in a negative pressure room where available, or if not available, a neutral pressure side room with closed ventilator circuit should be used Suitable written information must be placed on the isolation room door indicating the need for respiratory and enteric isolation, though there will be a need to respect patient confidentiality Essential staff only should enter the isolation room.



Protective clothing

To be worn by ALL staff and visitors entering the room (see appendix 1: putting on and removing personal protective equipment)

Long sleeved fluid-repellent disposable gown ? consideration to wearing scrubs underneath would obviate problems with laundering of uniforms and other clothing

Non-sterile surgical gloves

An FFP3 respirator conforming to EN149:2001 to be worn by all personnel carrying out clinical care or in the room during aerosol generating procedures. Fit testing should be undertaken before using this equipment. Healthcare workers should fit-check a respirator every time one is used

Goggles/visor (prescription glasses do not provide adequate protection against droplets, sprays and splashes)

It is vital that the protective clothing above is worn for all airway management including intubation



Equipment

Use dedicated equipment in the isolation room

Dispose of single use equipment as clinical waste inside room

Reuseable equipment should be avoided if possible. If used, disinfect according to manufacturer?s instructions

Ventilators should be protected with a high efficient filter eg BS EN 13328-1, and standard decontamination procedures followed

Closed system suction should be used

Crockery should be treated as normal and washed in a dishwasher
Use of equipment that re-circulates air (eg fans) should not be used as this has the potential to turn a negative pressure room into a positive pressure room.



Hand hygiene

Essential before and after all patient contact, removal of protective clothing and cleaning of the environment

Use soap and water or use alcohol hand rub if hands are socially clean Rings (other than a plain smooth band), wrist watches and wrist jewellery must not be worn by staff



Linen

Bag linen inside single room - do not carry through ward/department

Linen should be bagged in accordance with procedures for infected linen and the laundry informed of the high-risk nature


Waste

Dispose of all waste as clinical waste; in particular ensure the appropriate disposal of faeces and urine Waste to be handled as per local policy



Visitors

The number of visitors should be restricted Visitors entering the isolation room must wear protective clothing as previously detailed. Visitors should be trained in the appropriate use of protective clothing and hand hygiene

A log of all visitors should be kept



Transfers to other departments

Where possible, all procedures and investigations should be carried out in the single room. A minimal number of staff should be present in the room during any procedures

Only if clinical need dictates should patients be transferred to other departments in conjunction with the infection control team, and the following procedures then apply:

• The department must be informed in advance
• The patient must be taken straight to and from the investigation/treatment room, and must not wait in a communal area.
• Ideally patients should be at the end of a list to allow appropriate decontamination after any procedure.
• The patient should wear a 'surgical ' mask if this can be tolerated - this will prevent large droplets being expelled into the environment by the wearer.
• Portering and escort staff need not wear masks during transit if the patient is able to wear a mask.
• Gloves and gowns should be worn for direct contact with the patient.
• The trolley/chair should be cleaned with a suitable agent after use
• Staff carrying out procedures must wear the protective clothing indicated above.
• The treatment/procedure room and all equipment should be cleaned
• Coronaviruses are enveloped RNA viruses and are therefore susceptible to disinfection methods. It is, however, possible that they can survive in the environment for up to 24hrs, so environmental decontamination is vital.

Transfer to other institutions

Transfer of cases to another hospital should be avoided unless it is necessary for medical care

Patients should not be transferred solely for the purpose of accommodation in a negative pressure room

If transfer is essential, the Infection Control Team at the receiving hospital and the ambulance staff must be advised in advance of the special circumstances of the transfer



Medical procedures

Procedures that produce aerosols of respiratory secretions, eg bronchoscopy, induced sputum, positive pressure ventilation via a face mask, intubation and extubation, and airway suctioning carry an increased risk of transmission and where these procedures are medically necessary, they should be undertaken in a negative pressure room if available or in a single room. The minimum number of required staff should be present and all staff present in the room must wear personal protective equipment (PPE) as described above including goggles/visor. Entry and exit from the room should be minimised during the procedure. The large particles will fall out within seconds. The small aerosol particles will behave almost as a gas. Clearance of any aerosol is dependent on the ventilation of the room.

In hospitals this is usually around 12-15 air changes per hour and so after about 20 minutes, there would be less than 1 per cent of the starting level (assuming cessation of aerosol generation).

Coronaviruses are enveloped and a very wide range of disinfectants are effective.



Critical care

All respiratory equipment must be protected with a high efficient filter eg BS EN 13328-1, Disposable respiratory equipment should be used wherever possible. Re-usable equipment must at a minimum be disinfected in accordance with manufacturers' instructions

The ventilator circuit should not be broken unless absolutely necessary

Ventilators must be placed on standby when carrying out bagging

Protective clothing as detailed above to be worn

The use of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation equipment carries with it an increased risk of transmission of infection

Water humidification should be avoided and a heat and moisture exchanger should be used if possible

Only essential staff should be in the patient's room when airway management, cough inducing activities or nebulisation of drugs is being carried out



Theatres

Theatres must be informed in advance

The patient should be transported directly to the operating theatre and should wear a surgical mask

The patient should be anaesthetised and recovered in the theatre

Staff should wear protective clothing as detailed above

Disposable anaesthetic equipment should be used wherever possible

Re-usable anaesthetic equipment should be decontaminated in line with manufacturers? instructions

The anaesthetic machine must be protected by a filter with viral efficiency to 99.99%

Instruments and devices should be decontaminated in the normal manner.

Instruments must be transported safely

The theatre should be cleaned as per local policy

Theatres should not be used for 15 minutes after the patient leaves if conventionally ventilated or 5 minutes if ultraclean ventilation used



Cleaning

Domestic staff must be made aware of the need for additional precautions and be trained in these

Daily cleaning should be carried out and enhanced cleaning of frequent hand touch surfaces

Domestic staff to wear protective clothing as indicated above

The isolation area should be cleaned after the rest of the ward area

Dedicated or disposable equipment must be used for cleaning

Cleaning equipment must be decontaminated following use



Staff

The use of bank or agency staff should be avoided wherever possible

Staff must comply with all infection control procedures as detailed above

A record of all staff caring for the patient must be maintained (record sheet at appendix I). The record sheet should be placed at the door and all staff entering must complete this. All HCW should be vigilant for any respiratory symptoms in the seven days following last exposure to a case and should not come to work if they have a fever or cough. Advice should be sought from their infection control team/occupational health department as per the local policy. During this period, possibly infected workers should avoid close contact with persons both in the hospital and in the general community. They should contact their hospital infection control team and /or local HPU for advice on where they should be medically assessed.



Specimens

All specimens must be treated as biohazard

• Label with biohazard label
• Mark request form accordingly
• Double bag Specimens will be handled as Containment Level 3

Contact tracing

Follow up of contacts of patients will be co-ordinated by the local Health Protection Unit

Follow up of staff contacts of patients will be co-ordinated by the Occupational Health Department



Last offices

Carry out last offices using the protective clothing and medical procedures identified above. A body bag should be used

Mortuary staff and funeral directors must be advised of the biohazard risk



Summary of advice

If a patient fitting the case definition for suspected coronavirus is admitted, infection control personnel should be notified immediately. In addition to standard precautions, infection control measures for inpatients should include:

• Airborne precautions, eg
  • Either an isolation room with negative pressure relative to the surrounding area or a single room with own bathroom and toilet facilities
  • Use of FFP3 respirators conforming to EN 149:2001 for persons entering the room. Fit testing should be undertaken prior to using this equipment. Contact and droplet precautions (including use of long sleeve fluid repellent gown and latex or similar non-latex gloves with long tight-fitting cuffs for contact with the patient or their environment). Standard precautions to include careful attention to hand washing and hygiene. When caring for patients, clinicians should wear eye protection for all patient contact. Contact local Infection Control Team for advice. Standard precautions when handling any clinical waste, which must be placed in leak-proof clinical waste bags or bins and disposed of safely. Laundry should be classified as infected. It is not necessary to use disposable crockery or cutlery

Appendix 1

Putting on and removing personal protective equipment

Putting on PPE - The level of PPE used will vary according to the procedure being carried out, and not all items of PPE will always be required. PPE should be put on before entering a side room. If full PPE is required, for example for a potentially infectious aerosol generating procedure, all staff in the room or entering within one hour of the procedure should wear the following PPE put on in the following order:

1. Gown
2. FFP3 respirator
3. Eye protection, i.e. goggles or face shield
4. Disposable gloves.

The order given above is practical but the order for putting on is less critical than the order of removal given below.

Removal of PPE - PPE should be removed in an order that minimises the potential for cross-contamination. Before leaving the side room gloves, gown and eye protection should be removed (in that order, where worn) and disposed of as clinical (also known as infectious) waste. After leaving the area, the respirator can be removed and disposed of as clinical waste.

Guidance on the order of removal of PPE is as follows:

1. Gloves Grasp the outside of the glove with the opposite gloved hand; peel off. Hold the removed glove in gloved hand. Slide the fingers of the ungloved hand under the remaining glove at the wrist. Peel the second glove off over the first glove and discard appropriately.
2. Gown: Unfasten or break ties. Pull gown away from the neck and shoulders, touching the inside of the gown only. Turn the gown inside out, fold or roll into a bundle and discard.
3. Eye protection: To remove, handle by headband or earpieces and discard appropriately.
4. Respirator - Untie or break bottom ties, followed by top ties or elastic, and remove by handling ties only and discard appropriately.

To minimise cross-contamination, the order outlined above should be applied even if not all items of PPE have been used.

Clean hands thoroughly immediately after removing all PPE.



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[Laidback Al]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

Graphical timeline of novel coronavirus outbreak.



pdf of timeline: Coronavirus 20120925.pdf<object style="position:absolute;z-index:1000" type="application/x-dgnria" id="plugin0" height="0" width="0">

</object>

[alert]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

https://www.wp.dh.gov.uk/publications/files/2012/09/novel-coronavirus-25092012.pdf

ANNEX
NOVEL CORONAVIRUS IN A QATARI NATIONAL RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR A SEVERE RESPIRATORY ILLNESS IN LONDON
On 22 September 2012 a novel coronavirus was identified in lower respiratory tract specimens of a previously well, adult male Qatari national receiving treatment for a severe respiratory illness in London. The virus is virtually identical genetically to a novel coronavirus recently identified by Dutch researchers in a clinical sample from a Saudi Arabian national who was ill with pneumonia over three months ago. These are currently the only two known cases from whom this virus has been isolated.
Coronaviruses are causes of the common cold but also include the virus responsible for SARS. Strict respiratory isolation has been instituted around the current case and all personnel caring for the patient are wearing the appropriate personal protective clothing. Respiratory symptoms in the current case started in early September after a reported visit to Saudi Arabia. The patient was admitted to hospital in Qatar and, as symptoms worsened, was transferred to London by air ambulance on 11 September where he is now being treated in intensive care. Initial routine investigations revealed no cause for the illness but on 21 September, following a report in ProMED describing the identification of a novel human coronavirus, in a fatal respiratory illness in an adult Saudi Arabian national, specimens from the London patient were examined for coronavirus infection, and were found to be positive. Genetic characterisation of the virus revealed that it was virtually identical to the virus that caused the illness in the earlier case from Saudi Arabia.
In the light of the severity of the illness in the two confirmed cases and the novel nature of the virus, contacts of the cases, predominantly health care workers, are being contacted to ensure they are well and that further transmission has not occurred. Follow up of the contacts of the current case is underway; no illness due to this infection has been confirmed so far in this group. Many of these contacts are already likely to be beyond the incubation period (currently assumed to be seven days, based on what is known about other human coronavirus infections) when symptoms would have developed had they been infected. No other cases of confirmed or probable infection with this virus have been identified to date in the UK.
Information about these cases, and advice on the need to be vigilant for the possibility of further cases, has been developed for health care workers in the UK.

http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/RespiratoryViruses/NovelCoronavirus/respinfoforprofnovelcoronavirussept2012/

[alert]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

Well, this is enough (at least for me) to conclude this virus is not going to be called "SARS":

http://www.news.gov.hk/en/categories/health/html/2012/09/20120926_144850.shtml

New coronavirus not SARS: Thomas Tsang
September 26, 2012
The genetic structure of the new strain of coronavirus and the SARS coronavirus is different, and should not be mistaken to be the same virus.

This was the message from Centre for Health Protection Controller Dr Thomas Tsang today, telling the media that, genetically, the new coronavirus found abroad recently is different to the SARS coronavirus that struck Hong Kong in 2003.

SARS belongs to family 2B of the coronavirus family, while this new infection belongs to group 2C.

However, he said the Government still needs to implement considerable health measures to safeguard the public, as little is known about the new virus. It has stepped up surveillance measures to detect any cases that come up in Hong Kong.

?We have sent guidelines on infection control and hygiene to numerous institutions, including the tourism industry, airlines, schools, hospitals, and also our frontline staff, so they know exactly how to handle potential cases.

?We also have a plan to make this new coronavirus a notifiable disease under Hong Kong law so we will be able to use legal instruments in implementing appropriate control measures against this new virus.?

[snip]

[alert]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

Published Date: 2012-09-26 10:03:15
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Novel coronavirus - Saudi Arabia (05): WHO, case def., nomenclature
Archive Number: 20120926.1309747

NOVEL CORONAVIRUS - SAUDI ARABIA (05): WHO, CASE DEFINITIONS, NOMENCLATURE
************************************************** ************************
A ProMED-mail post

http://www.promedmail.org

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases

http://www.isid.org

In this update:[1] WHO update[2] WHO case definitions[3] Virus Nomenclature

[snip, articles already in this thread]

Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[The WHO update and preliminary case definitions presented in parts [1] and [2] are indicative of the activities being launched to increase the probability of early identification of potential additional cases of severe respiratory disease associated with renal failure attributable to this novel coronavirus. An example of the impact of this is an additional newswire from Xinhua news mentioning there are 5 individuals in a Danish hospital "currently being examined for symptoms of infection from a new coronavirus" (see http://english.cri.cn/6966/2012/09/26/2701s724277.htm). From the information provided (or not provided) in this newswire, these 5 patients would most likely be categorized as "patients under investigation".

Given the inclusion of the category "patient under investigation" this moderator suspects that there will be many reports of patients under investigation" in the coming days (and weeks) -- a positive sign of increased surveillance activities attempting to identify potential geographic spread.

There is obvious concern of the potential for a similar type outbreak as seen in 2002/2003 with SARS. The global international public health network and response environment is significantly different in 2012 than it was in 2002/2003 during the SARS epidemic. Disease surveillance is improved, with greater transparency in reporting at all levels, including the active participation of non-traditional sources of information such as the media. And equally important is the recognition of the need for respiratory isolation early on so that "patients under investigation" are now subjected to respiratory isolation. As a reminder, during the SARS epidemic, there was nosocomial enhancement of virus transmission -- "super spreaders" were in hospital environments where they were shedding virus freely in open areas and to health care workers and other patients in the hospital environment. (see Severe acute respiratory syndrome--Singapore, 2003.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2003 May 9;52(18):405-11 available at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5218a1.htm).

In the CIDRAP news release there is mention of a proposed nomenclature for the new virus "London1_novel CoV 2012". The phylogenetic tree is presented in the HPA report (http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/RespiratoryViruses/NovelCoronavirus/respPartialgeneticsequenceofnovelcoronavirus/>.

[The phylogenetic tree has been constructed with partial sequences from the polymerase gene (nsp12) of representative coronaviruses. The sequence obtained by the HPA has been tentatively named as London1_novel CoV 2012. The HPA sequence data are based on direct detection from clinical material from the London case. The HPA does not yet have a virus isolate. There will shortly be a GENBANK accession number for the sequence. The phylogenetic tree is considered preliminary, as is the virus nomenclature, and liable to change as more information or a virus isolate becomes available. - Mod.CP

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Saudi Arabia: 3 cases, 2 deaths due to novel animal coronavirus

machinetranslation

Wednesday 26th September 2012

The six Danes who were suspected of having a dangerous coronavirus, all had a common flu.


More in this thread: Denmark - 6 suspected new coronavirus patients - all test negative for coronavirus - tested positive for Influenza B