Manchester patient tests negative for deadly virus

A patient at Manchester Royal Infirmary has tested negative for Mers Credit: PA

A patient at Manchester Royal Infirmary has tested negative for the potentially deadly Middle East Respiratory Virus Syndrome (Mers).

The person was treated for a severe respiratory infection and was kept in isolation as a precaution while checks took place for a number of infectious diseases, including Mers.

Public Health England North West's Greater Manchester Health Protection team also confirmed that the individual tested negative for MERS-CoV.

It says no new cases of the potentially deadly disease have been detected in the UK since February 2014.

In July, two patients at the same hospital also tested negative for Mers.

Mers is a viral respiratory disease caused by a corona virus (Mers-CoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

The most recent figures from the World Health Organisation show 1,618 cases of infection have been confirmed throughout the world, including at least 579 deaths.

Although the source of Mers-CoV is currently unknown, there is growing evidence of the possible role of camels in transmitting the virus to humans.