A Saudi expert on infectious diseases on Thursday reaffirmed the link between the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and camels after research proved that the viruses isolated from a Saudi patient and his camel were 100 percent similar.
“We have succeeded in isolating the coronavirus and proving the role of camels in transmitting this deadly virus to humans,” said Dr. Tariq Ahmed Madani of the King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah.
Speaking with Arab News, he said the discovery proves that camels are the prime reservoir that allowed the coronavirus to infect and kill humans. “This does not mean camels are the only source,” he said. “This important discovery will help combat and contain the disease,” said Madani, who obtained a fellowship in infectious diseases from the University of Manitoba in Canada.
A total of 72 people have died from MERS out of 212 infected cases in Saudi Arabia.
A 72-year-old Saudi woman died from among seven patients who were diagnosed with the MERS in Jeddah on Thursday. The other six patients include two Saudi men, aged 60 and 70, who are currently being treated at the ICU of a local hospital, while a 54-year-old doctor, a 31-year-old female expat and two Saudi women, aged 40 and 60, have also been diagnosed with the disease and are reported to be in stable condition. .. see more
source: arabnews
Tags: Camel link, health, MERS
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