Mystery Disease Now Identified as Cold Virus
U.S. and international health officials now think the mystery disease that originated in Asia and is spreading rapidly throughout the U.S. is a tough new version of the common cold. It was earlier reported to be a form of the virus that causes measles and mumps, but now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says tests reveal traces of a form of microbe known as a coronavirus in the tissue of people infected with “severe acute respiratory syndrome,” or SARS. CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding says, “If (coronavirus) is not the entire cause of SARS, it at least contributes to it.”
The next goal is to develop a diagnostic test to identify people who have SARS, instead of ordinary flu, which could lead to a more effective treatment for the new disease.
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