Blog 5: Animals suspected in spread of new virus

The Britain Health Protection Agency has issued a new virus related to the virus called SARS.  SARS is an acute respiratory syndrome that was first identified in 2003.  SARS causes severe difficulty breathing and sometimes even death.  This virus so far has been linked to animals like bats, camels, sheep, and goats.  But so far there is no evidence that this virus is as bad as SARS or spread from person to person.    But studies suggest that two victims located in the Middle East must have caught it from animals.  Biologists are trying to figure out how many animals could possibly have it or how possible it is to travel from human to human.  One of the victims is from Saudi Arabia while the other had traveled to Saudi Arabia on a trip.  Saudi Arabia has a big Muslim Haij pilgrimage next month and that is expected to bring in millions of people and more human contact could mean more spreading of the virus.  A precaution of the virus could be keeping hands clean and mouths covered.  Right now the main thing would be to find out the virus source and how to stop it from spreading.  An expert at the University of Minnesota suggest that bats likely transmitted the virus to other animals and then on to animals.  Viruses can end up reproducing more each time they are spread to animals and humans.  So hopefully researchers and experts can find out how to stop this awful respiratory virus from causing any more deaths.  

 http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012/09/28/animals-suspected-in-spread-of-new-virus/57850620/1