MERS deaths in Algeria, contracted in Saudi Arabia transmitted from camels
Algiers (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A 59 year old Algerian died yesterday from the coronavirus infection known as MERS,
which he contracted during his pilgrimage to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, home to
the largest number of cases of this disease.
This
is the second case of infection in Algeria among those who have returned from
Saudi Arabia.
The
Saudi kingdom has registered MERS cases (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome)
since 2012. It a viral infection with symptoms similar to those of the common
cold. But
in the case of MERS it often leads to kidney failure and pneumonia. According
to data from the country, so far there have been at least 282 deaths out of
nearly 700 infections.
Thanks
to a certain superficiality on the part of the Saudi Minister for Health (who
has now resigned), the virus has spread even further among people who came to
Saudi Arabia for business or for religious reasons.
Cases
of MERS are now registered in Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt,
France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain and the United States.
Scientists
agree that the MERS has been transmitted to humans by camels. British
researchers have recognized the same coronavirus in camels and their owners.