Face Veils and the Saudi Arabian Plague

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http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/06/face-veils-and-the-saudi-arabian-plague/277112/


The MERS virus up close (in yellow). (AP)

At first, it causes a fever and mild cough. In a few days, full-blown pneumonia sets in and it moves on to wreak havoc on the kidneys. There's no cure or vaccine, and about six out of 10 patients die.

Health officials are reacting to this new Saudi Arabian virus with the appropriate level of alarm:

"My greatest concern right now is the novel coronavirus," Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, said in a World Health Assembly meeting in May. "We do not know where the virus hides in nature. We do not know how people are getting infected. Until we answer these questions, we are empty-handed when it comes to prevention."

The new SARS-like disease, also known as MERS, has infected at least 60 people in the Middle East and killed at least 38. Four new deaths were announced Monday. It's appeared in eight countries, but most of the affected live in Saudi Arabia. Now health officials are scrambling to figure out how to curb its spread during Ramadan, the ongoing holiday that ends in a massive celebration, and before the October Hajj pilgrimage, in which millions of Muslims gather at Mecca.