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MERS-CoV: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome

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Back in April of 2012, a twenty-five year old man, who had recently traveled to parts of the Middle East, became ill in Saudi Arabia (WHO). He visited the hospital once he started seeing symptoms of an flu-like illness (WHO). To figure out what this virus was, doctor and researchers collected nasal sputum from individuals who were sick with what seemed like a new strain of the flu (WHO). This is when they discovered that the infectious agent of the illness was actually a coronavirus, which they called a novel coronavirus (CDPH). However, they renamed the coronavirus Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, also known as MERS-CoV (CDC). Prior to this occasion in 2012, it had never been seen in humans before, and it continued to spread from here (WHO). Symptoms of MERS-CoV include fever, cough, shortness or breath and difficulty breathing. (CDPH). This symptoms clearly explain why this coronavirus can be mistaken for a type of flu. Some patients may experience worse symptoms like gastrointestinal problems, diarrhea and kidney failure (WHO). Also, individuals who are infected but have weak immune systems may have an atypical presentation (WHO). As of March 2014, MERS-CoV has been seen in various countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, the U.K, France, Italy and Tunisia (CDPH). Many of the cases seen in Europe and Tunisia have been related to an individual who had traveled to parts of the Middle East mentioned above (CDPH). This

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