Harris and Trump make final push in must-win Pennsylvania    Drones and snipers on standby to protect Arizona vote-counters    India's Modi condemns violence after Canada temple incident    Elon Musk can keep giving $1m to voters, judge rules    Al Ahli extends perfect start with 5-1 victory over Al Shorta    Mitrovic's hat-trick leads Al Hilal to 3-0 victory over Esteghlal    Tourism Development Fund launches "Tourism Empowerment" programs to enhance sustainable growth of SMEs    Saudi crown prince, Tunisian president review bilateral relations in phone call    SFDA Chief visits premier biotechnology and medical firms in China    Al-Khereiji: Collective action in combating terrorism is a must for achieving stability and prosperity    Saudi Awwal Bank becomes the Kingdom's first bank obtaining ISO certification for quality management system in operations    10 cooperation agreements signed during Saudi-Turkish Business Forum in Istanbul    Saudi Arabia's non-oil revenues grow 6% in 9 months while Q3 budget posts SR30 billion deficit    Quincy Jones, titan of US music, dies aged 91    Enhancing zakat, tax, and customs compliance takes center stage at the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Conference 2024    Neymar expected to join Al Hilal squad for AFC clash against Esteghlal, says coach Jesus    Al Qadsiah secure 2-0 victory over Al Ettifaq in first Eastern Derby since 2021    Hidden sugars in Asia's baby food spark concerns    HONOR unveils pre-order of the stunning HONOR MagicBook Art 14 Featuring an ultra-slim design, HONOR Eye Comfort Display and AI Cross-OS WorkStation    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Insufficient evidence to identify MERS source: FAO
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 11 - 08 - 2013

United Nations – Further research is needed to identify the specific source of the coronavirus that is causing the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in humans, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.
“It is not yet clear how people are becoming infected, or where the virus might come from,” FAO chief veterinary officer Juan Lubroth said in a statement.
“We do not have enough information to identify with certainty the virus' origin. Confirming the source and mechanisms of transmission and spread are key to developing ways to reduce the risks posed by this virus to humans or other countries.” Scientists on Thursday said that people infected with the deadly virus that emerged in Saudi Arabia last year may have caught it from one-humped camels used in the region for meat, milk, transport and racing.

In a study into what kind of animal “reservoir” may be fueling the outbreak in humans, the scientists said they had found strong evidence it is widespread among dromedary camels in the Middle East.
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which can cause coughing, fever and pneumonia, has been reported in people in the Gulf, France, Germany, Italy, Tunisia and Britain.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says 46 people have died out of a total 94 confirmed cases, the majority in Saudi Arabia. “As new human cases of MERS-CoV continue to emerge, without any clues about the sources of infection except for people who caught it from other patients, these new results suggest that dromedary camels may be one reservoir,” said Chantal Reusken of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in Bilthoven, the Netherlands, who led the study.
“There are different types of contact of humans with these animals that could lead to transmission of a virus.” Experts not involved in the study hailed its findings as a major step towards solving the mystery of the MERS virus.
The WHO welcomed the study but said it had not provided any insight into how humans become infected. Most people with the disease became infected through contact with other people, while most of those not infected by other humans did not have contact with camels either, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said.
“What this study has shown is antibodies in the camels, that means that camels have been infected at some point in time and that produced antibodies,” he told a news briefing in Geneva on Friday.
“Now, to be sure that this is the same MERS coronavirus as it is in humans, we need to find the virus itself, not antibodies. So this would be the next step, to find the virus and identify it as the same one.”
Other animal species may also be infected, he said.
Days after identifying the new virus in September in a Qatari patient at a London hospital, British scientists had sequenced part of its genome, mapped out its “phylogenetic tree” and found it was related to a virus found in bats.
Further work by a scientists at Germany's University of Bonn suggested it may have come through an intermediary animal after they conducted a detailed case study of a male patient from Qatar who said he owned a camel and a goat farm. “This looks like the big break that public health workers needed in the fight against the spread of MERS,” said Benjamin Neuman, a microbiologist at Britain's University of Reading.
“The biggest mysteries ... have been how people are becoming infected with a virus of bats, and why it is happening in the Middle East.
“By showing that one-humped camels have a history of MERS-like infections, these scientists may have helped answer both questions at once.”
The Dutch-led team, whose study was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, gathered 349 blood serum samples from a variety of livestock animals, including dromedary camels, cows, sheep, goats, and some animals related to dromedaries. – Agencies


Clic here to read the story from its source.