World Health Organization (WHO)

Triple Threat: Middle East Respiratory Virus And 2 Bird Flus

Richard Knox — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 20:31:00 +0000

The World Health Organization is warning health care workers everywhere to suspect a disease called Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, whenever they see a case of unexplained pneumonia.

Monday's warning comes at the end of a six-day WHO investigation in Saudi Arabia, where 40 of the 55 cases of the respiratory disease have occurred.

Faces Of Drug-Resistant TB

Jason Beaubien — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:52:00 +0000

Forms of tuberculosis are emerging that are costly, difficult and at times, nearly impossible to treat. This new, worldwide threat is called multidrug-resistant TB, and it occurs when the bacteria no longer respond to the most common TB medications.

Middle East Coronavirus Shows Up In Italy

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 15:42:00 +0000

Now a virus that has caused respiratory failure and 30 deaths has turned up in Italy.

The World Health Organization says lab tests have confirmed the infections in a 2-year-old girl and a 42-year-old woman with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, or MERS-CoV, as it's now called.

Both of the patients, who are in stable condition, are close contacts of someone who traveled to Jordan recently, the WHO says.

Illnesses caused by the virus have originated in Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emi

Middle East Coronavirus Called 'Threat To The Entire World'

Wed, 29 May 2013 19:24:00 +0000

If you've been following the news out of China about the latest bird flu and its threats to humans, may we direct your attention toward the Middle East for a minute?

A virus that many people had been calling a SARS-like virus because of the severe respiratory condition it has triggered in quite a few people has an official name: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, or MERS-CoV.

Polio Outbreak In Kenya: A Threat To Global Eradication

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:14:00 +0000

Kenya has recorded its first case of polio in two years, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

A 4-month-old girl came down with paralysis on April 30, and then two healthy kids nearby also tested positive for the virus.

But this handful of infections with poliovirus has the potential to set back global efforts to eradicate polio, WHO spokeswoman Sona Bari tells Shots.

"Polio is a virus that spreads silently," she says.