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Camels Are the Source of MERS

| June 10, 2014 Comment

New research shows that camels are the source of MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus). MERS is a viral disease that has infected over 500 patients in Saudi Arabia; it kills 30%  of the people it infects. The country had issued warnings to camel owners to follow preventive measures when dealing with camels.

Scientists compared samples from a deceased patient and a camel that belonged to the patient, and found that the infection had spread from the camel to the human. Researchers say MERS had likely spread from animals to humans multiple times and then spread from human to human.

The study focused only on one case, and more research is needed to determine accurately how the disease is spread. More….

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