MERS-CoV Temporal, Age and Gender Distributions | epidemic. Ronavirus: is this the next pandemic? | Science. In mid-June last year, Ali Mohamed Zaki, a virologist at the Dr Soliman Fakeeh Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, took a call from a doctor who was worried about a patient. The 60-year-old man had been admitted to the hospital with severe viral pneumonia and the doctor wanted Zaki to identify the virus. Zaki obtained sputum from the patient and set to work. He ran the usual lab tests. One after another they came back negative. Puzzled by the results, Zaki sent a sample to a leading virology lab at Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam. While he waited for the Dutch team to examine the virus, Zaki tried one more test of his own. To alert other scientists, Zaki posted a note on proMED, an internet reporting system designed to rapidly share details of infectious diseases and outbreaks with researchers and public health agencies.
Just how serious was clear by then. On its own, the Jeddah case was more intriguing than terrifying. Or so it seemed. So far, so reassuring. Novel coronavirus infection in the United Kingdom. 27 July 2012, vol. 87, 30 (pp 277–288) Novel coronavirus infection - update. Case Definition for Case Finding <br> Severe Respiratory Disease associated with NOVEL CORONAVIRUS <br> Patient under investigation: Clinical definition: A person with acute respiratory syndrome which may include fever (≥ 38°C , 100.4°F) and cough • requiring hospitalization • with suspicion of lower airway involvement (clinical or radiological evidence of consolidation) not explained by any other infection or any other aetiology.
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 • 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: New 'SARS-like' coronavirus detected - Health news. Tuesday September 25 2012 Coronaviruses are named for their crown-like projections A new “SARS-like” virus has been detected in the UK, according to widespread media reports.
The headlines are based on press releases from the UK’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) about a new coronavirus. SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) is a serious and potentially life-threatening viral infection that mostly affects the lungs. There was a large outbreak of cases (pandemic) of SARS that occurred during 2002 and 2003, with most cases being confined to east Asia. The HPA has confirmed the diagnosis of a severe respiratory illness associated with a new type of coronavirus in one man from Qatar, in the Middle East, who is receiving intensive care treatment in an NHS London hospital.
The man had travelled to Saudi Arabia and has had the infection diagnosed after travelling to London. What are coronaviruses? What official advice has been given?