Saudi Arabia: 1 more death from new Sars-related virus

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia says one more man has died from a new respiratory virus related to Sars, bringing to 39 the number of deadly cases in the country at the centre of the growing outbreak.

The Saudi Health Ministry said the man died on Saturday, while tests of a new suspected case involving an 83-year-old Saudi man in the southwestern province of Asir proved positive. The new virus is related to Sars, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which killed some 800 people in a global outbreak in 2003. It belongs to a family of viruses that most often cause the common cold.