News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – Jordan's health ministry has sent 124 respiratory samples it collected from suspected Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases, none of which appear to be recent infections, to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for testing, the agency said today.

(CIDRAP News) – Another Saudi Arabian has been infected with the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), while six others whose illnesses were previously announced have died, Saudi Arabian authorities and the World Health Organization announced today.

(CIDRAP News) – Saudi Arabia reported today that five more people have been infected with the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), as if to underline yesterday's warning from the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) that the novel virus is a global threat.

(CIDRAP News) – Saudi Arabian officials announced today that they plan to send animal samples to the United States as part of the hunt for the source of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and also reported that testing of scores of human samples has revealed no new cases in the past 2 days.

(CIDRAP News) – World Health Organization (WHO) officials and others at the World Health Assembly (WHA) complained today that restrictions on the use of virus samples are delaying the investigation of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), according to news service reports.

(CIDRAP News) – A World Health Organization (WHO) expert has expressed concern that guest workers in the Middle East could carry the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) to India and the Philippines, according to a media report, while a few more details emerged about three Tunisian cases reported yesterday.