The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a warning of a new virus that has sickened more than a dozen people and killed eight. The Huffington Post reported that the virus has been identified in the Arabian peninsula and the U.K. thus far and is a coronavirus.
The Huffington Post reported that experts said that it had never previously been seen in humans before, have been spotted in the U.S.
"Still, the CDC has advised anyone visiting countries in or near the Arabian peninsula, including Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to see a doctor if a fever or symptoms of a lower respiratory illness develop within 10 days of their travels.," reported The Huffington Post.
The virus is part of the same family as the common cold is and also SARS which came out in Asia in 2003. Reuters reported that analysis of the new disease suggests that the virus can be passed from person to person rather than animal to person.
"According to the CDC's analysis, the infections in Britain started with a 60-year-old man who had recently traveled to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and developed a respiratory illness on January 24, 2013," reported Reuters.
Samples taken from the man show that he was infected with the new virus and with H1N1 also known as swine flu. The man passed the infection to two other people in his home, including a man who had an underlying illness and passed away and a woman who developed a respiratory illness and recovered.
The CDC warns that people who get lower respiratory illness that is severe within 10 days of coming back from the Arabian Peninsula or the nearby countries should be evaluated and that doctors should carefully watch patients who get a lower respiratory illness that is unexplained within 10 days of their return.
Symptoms include: acute respiratory illness, cough, shortness of breath and fever. See the CDC's website for more information and updates.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
