French health officials have reported a new case of the Middle Eastern Respiratory Virus in an individual returning from a trip to Saudi Arabia. The individual is in stable condition, and has been in isolation since October 28th.
Globally, there have been 144 cases of the respiratory virus to date, with 62 fatalities. In the last few weeks, transmission of the virus seemed to have slowed, before Saudi Arabia experienced a further five cases in a three day period. The virus usually presents with respiratory symptoms, although more severe cases can result in rapid kidney failure. MERS’ primary host, reservoir, vector, and mode of transmission are all uncertain.
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