Briton is 10th case of Sars-like virus
2013-02-11 21:40
London - A British resident has been diagnosed with a
potentially fatal Sars-like virus, British health authorities said on Monday,
in the 10th confirmed case worldwide.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said the person, who
recently travelled to the Middle East and Pakistan, was being treated at an
intensive care unit at a hospital in Manchester, northwest England, after
contracting novel coronavirus.
"The HPA is providing advice to healthcare workers
to ensure the patient under investigation is being treated appropriately,"
said John Watson, head of the agency's respiratory diseases department.
"Contacts of the case are also being followed up to
check on their health."
He added: "Our assessment is that the risk
associated with novel coronavirus to the general UK population remains
extremely low and the risk to travellers to the Arabian Peninsula and
surrounding countries remains very low."
Travellers who develop severe breathing difficulties
within 10 days of returning from the region should seek medical advice, said
Watson.
This is the second case to hit Britain after a 49-year-old
Qatari man was treated at a London hospital in September for the virus.
The HPA said five patients had died worldwide as a result
of the disease.
Five cases have been confirmed in Saudi Arabia resulting
in three deaths, while two patients treated in Jordan have died, the agency
said.
A patient from Qatar was treated for the virus in Germany
and given the all-clear.
Coronaviruses cause most common colds but can also cause
Sars (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).
The Sars epidemic killed more than 800 people when it
swept out of China in 2003, sparking a major international health scare.
- SAPA
