Acute Respiratory Illness Associated With A New Virus Identified
In The UK The Health Protection Agency (HPA) can confirm the
diagnosis of one laboratory confirmed case of severe respiratory
illness associated with a new type of coronavirus. The patient,
who is from the Middle East and recently arrived in the UK, is
receiving intensive care treatment in a London hospital. In
recent months, this new human coronavirus was also identified in
a patient with acute respiratory illness in Saudi Arabia, who
subsequently died. Coronaviruses are causes of the common cold
but can also include more severe illness, such as the virus
responsible for SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). This
new virus, however, is different from any that have previously
been identified in humans. Preliminary enquiries have revealed
no evidence of illness in contacts of these two cases, including
healthcare workers. Based on what we know about other
coronaviruses, many of these contacts will already have passed
the period when they coul