[News & Analysis] Emerging Diseases: Soaring MERS Cases in Saudi Arabia Raise Alarms

A spike in the reported number of cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome has sparked fresh fears that the virus may have undergone genetic changes that could help it spread between humans and create a pandemic. But preliminary studies have not shown such changes so far, and several other factors could explain the recent explosion, scientists say—from increased testing to sloppy hospital hygiene and a wave of camel births across the region.  Author: Kai Kupferschmidt
Source: Science: This Week - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Emerging Diseases Source Type: research