For the second time in just a few days, the Middle Eastern country of Oman has reported a Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), according to the Oman News Agency (computer translated).
The patient is described as being in stable condition. No other information on the patient was available.
To date, Oman has reported four MERS cases and three resulted in death.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is viral respiratory illness first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. It is caused by acoronavirus called MERS-CoV. Most people who have been confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection developed severe acute respiratory illness. They had fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About 30% of people confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection have died.
So far, all the cases have been linked to countries in and near the Arabian Peninsula. This virus has spread from ill people to others through close contact, such as caring for or living with an infected person. However, there is no evidence of sustained spreading in community settings.
