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The new SARS-like virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus infection (MERS), is spreading across the planet, and the World Health Organisation has labelled it a "threat to the entire world."

The virus, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) originally said would never pose a threat outside the Middle East, has now reached 18 countries across the world. Cases have now been confirmed in Jordan, Lebanon, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Great Britain.
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It’s time to begin paying attention to the new SARS-like virus found in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. While only six cases have been identified so far, two of the patients died. Lots of Saudis travel to the West on business–will it spread to this country?

In Forbes, David DiSalvo reports that the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an international alert in late September saying a virus previously unknown in humans had infected a Qatari man who had recently been in Saudi Arabia, where another man with the same virus had died.

An update says they have discovered four more cases and one of the new patients has also died.
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Having SARS may make you want to cry, but if you do, youcould infect others, since the SARS virus has been found inthe tears of infected people. Hopefully, a vaccine will beready before SARS arrives in the U.S.

Doctors have found that tears can be used as a way toidentify SARS patients early, before they can infect manyother people. Researchers say, “Even as the epidemic hasdied down, we are warned of future outbreaks. This may be asimple tool in identifying probably cases in future andprospective trials are being designed for this purpose.”
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While the latest SARS case in China escaped from a laboratory where it was being studied, most of last year’s SARS epidemic wasn’t spread from person to person?it was spread by one person flushing the toilet.

Amanda Gardner writes in abcnews.com that despite all the SARS research, scientists still can’t figure out how the virus was transmitted so widely and quickly. Dr. Tak-sun Ignatius Yu says, “Future prevention and protection against SARS should take into consideration the possibility [that] airborne transmission avoidance of close contacts alone may not be adequate. The prevention of aerosolization of the virus source should take priority.”
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