The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning health officials about a deadly new virus.
On Thursday, the CDC notified state and local health officials about potential infections from a deadly virus previously unseen in humans, according to Reuters.
So far, 14 people in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and the United Kingdom have been confirmed as having an infection caused by the novel coronavirus. Investigations are underway trying to find out the source of the novel coronavirus and how it spreads.
Most infections have occurred in the Middle East, but three new confirmed infections in Britain suggests the virus can pass from person to person rather than from animal to humans, says the CDC.
This coronavirus is in the same family of the common cold and the SARS virus that first emerged in Asia in 2003. The new virus is not the same as SARS, but like the SARS virus, it is similar to those found in bats.
Symptoms include severe acute respiratory illness with fever, cough and shortness of breath. Neither the CDC nor the WHO has issued travel restrictions.
And as of yet there are no reports of any infections in the U.S.
The CDC has set up a special website with updates on the infections at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/ncv/ .
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