Wednesday, October 3, 2012

When New Diseases Emerge, Experts Are Faster On The Uptake

October 3, 2012
Scientists have recently discovered three new human viruses.

One, from the Arabian Peninsula, causes severe pneumonia and kidney failure. Another sent two Missouri farmers to the hospital with severe fatigue and low blood platelets. The third, in central Africa, causes a new kind of hemorrhagic fever.

The most striking thing about all three new viruses is that they were found on the basis of just two or three human cases. That's a long way from where the world was 10 years ago, when another new virus popped up in Asia and quickly went global.

Continued: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/10/03/162150791/why-experts-can-pounce-on-new-diseases-faster-as-they-emerge

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