MERS

How do pandemics begin? There's a new theory — and a new strategy to thwart them

5:00am February 15, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Animals carry millions of pathogens. So it's a daunting task to find the one with the greatest potential to spark a pandemic. Now scientists are rethinking the way they hunt for that next new virus.

Workers wearing protective suits fumigate an art hall with antiseptic solution as a precaution against the spread of the Middle East respiratory syndrome in Seoul, South Korea, in June 2015.

South Korea Holds Onto Patient Data From Prior Coronavirus, Worrying Privacy Groups

5:00pm June 30, 2020

by Anthony Kuhn

Privacy advocates warn the government has kept the information from 2015 MERS patients beyond a justified emergency period.

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A recovered coronavirus patient takes a selfie before being discharged from a hospital in Sri Lanka. Researchers are trying to determine if having a case of COVID-19 will give you immunity.

Do You Get Immunity After Recovering From A Case Of Coronavirus?

6:25pm March 20, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The hope is that a person who's recovered from COVID-19 would have some protection against re-infection in the future. Here's what researchers do — and don't — know.

Health & Safety

Wuhan Coronavirus 101: What We Do — And Don't — Know About A Newly Identified Disease

6:47pm January 24, 2020

by Emily Vaughn

The virus was identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, and the number of confirmed cases is rapidly increasing. Here's what we do — and don't — know about coronavirus 2019-nCoV.

A visualization of the SARS virus. It is a type of coronavirus and displays the coronavirus' signature crownlike appearance under a microscope.

How Does Wuhan Coronavirus Compare With MERS, SARS And The Common Cold?

5:28pm January 22, 2020

by Pien Huang

The virus that has emerged in China is part of a family known as coronaviruses. Here's how some of the best-known coronaviruses compare with this newly identified member of the viral family.

A man rides past the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, which was closed after being linked to cases of a newly discovered coronavirus.

Health & Safety

Coronavirus In China: Over 200 Cases, Human-To-Human Transmission

2:48pm January 20, 2020

The World Health Organization will convene a meeting on Wednesday to determine if the newly discovered virus presents a "public health emergency of international concern."

Debate Over Bird Flu Research Moratorium Flares Up Again

7:25pm January 07, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Scientists are convening to debate whether experiments that make some viruses more contagious in order to advance understanding of potential outbreaks are worth the risk of creating one.

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The outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome is slowing down in South Korea, but people were still wearing surgical masks around Seoul on Monday.

Will A Surgical Mask Keep You Safe In A Viral Outbreak?

5:05pm June 22, 2015

by Susan Brink

When Middle East respiratory syndrome erupted in South Korea, people started wearing masks everywhere, even at weddings. So how good are these masks at stopping MERS or even the flu?

To screen for MERS, an official at South Korea's customs gate checks the body heat of a worker arriving from North Korea.

North Korea Announces Cure For MERS (As If)

7:55am June 20, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

The drug can also allegedly wipe out AIDS and TB and just about every other disease. The state-run media announced the news, so exaggeration is to be expected.

A medical staff member wearing a protective suit waits to enter an isolation ward for patients with Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, in South Korea.

MERS Is A Health Crisis With Political And Economic Costs

2:14pm June 16, 2015

by Elise Hu

After a bungled initial response to the virus, South Korea's president has to win back public trust. Leaders are scrambling to keep the country's prized economy from struggling.

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