PARIS (Reuters) - The first case of acute respiratory infection linked to again close to the head of the SARS coronavirus was reported Wednesday in France .
The patient, a 65-year-old from Nord-Pas-de-Calais who stayed in Dubai from 9 to 17 April this year, was hospitalized in isolation Douai (Nord) in an "alarming" state, said the health authorities.
The patient, who suffered from severe breathing problems, was hospitalized on April 23 in Valenciennes and then transferred on April 29 at Douai, where he was placed on a ventilator and has a "blood exchange".
"The situation is worrying," said the Director General of Health, Dr. Jean-Yves Grall, at a press conference alongside the Minister of Health, Marisol Touraine .
The ministry said in a statement that it was to this day the "first and only confirmed case in France."
An epidemiological investigation was launched. All persons in contact with the patient have been or will be contacted. The research is for negative time.
"From the first elements, as in the vast majority of cases reported by the World Health Organization , the patient contracted the virus during a trip in the Arabian Peninsula, but the source has been specifically identified " the ministry said...
