BERLIN — A patient from Qatar has been confirmed with a new virus related to SARS, and health officials are investigating whether it may have spread between humans after close contact in Saudi Arabia.
Germany’s Robert Koch Institute said Friday that the Qatari patient fell ill in October with severe respiratory problems. He was taken to Germany for treatment in a specialty clinic, recovered after a month and was released this week.
As a precaution, the World Health Organization advised medical authorities around the world to test any patients with unexplained pneumonia for the new coronavirus, from a family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as SARS. Previously, WHO had only advised testing patients who had been to either Qatar or Saudi Arabia — the two countries with all the reported cases.
“Until more information is available, it is prudent to consider that the virus is likely more widely distributed than just the two countries which have identified cases,” WHO said.
Health officials always keep a close eye on any clusters of unusual viruses within families, since they may suggest the possibility of human-to-human spread. Still, that is usually because of close contact in which family members are looking after sick loved ones and does not suggest the virus can be easily transmitted.
Experts aren’t sure how the virus is spreading but suspect it may be jumping directly to humans from animals such as bats, camels or goats. In the latest case from Qatar, however, the patient had no known links to animals.
Front Section, Pages 8 on 11/24/2012