Healthcare workers have been given a global warning about the new Middle Eastern respiratory virus following the latest hospital scare.
The virus, thought to originate in camels, has already infected a number of workers in Saudi Arabian hospitals.
The latest casualty was a 26-year-old male working in Jordan. The man had no contact with animals and no history of travel.
He was reported to be stable in hospital after developing pneumonia caused by the MERS-CoV virus.
The World Health Organisation called on health care providers to be "vigilant," warning that early symptoms of infection could be mild or unusual.
It said workers should take precautions against contact and use eye protection – together with taking precautions against air-borne infection.
A spokesman said: "It is not always possible to identify patients with MERS-CoV early because some have mild or unusual symptoms.
"For this reason, it is important that health-care workers apply standard precautions consistently with all patients – regardless of their diagnosis – in all work practices all the time."
Leave a Reply