Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
āSymptomsā
MERS is caused by a distinctive coronavirus (MERSāCoV). Typical early symptoms include fever, cough, chills, and shortness of breath. Pneumonia is common. Some cases have had diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Other cases tested afterāā their contact with MERS patients have had no symptoms. Complications of MERS include severe pneumonia and organ failure. Approximately 35% of confirmed cases have died. Most severe cases of MERS have had underlying chronic medical conditions. There is no known vaccine or specific treatment; management is supportive.
Transmission
The virus that causes MERS can spread through respiratory secretions, such as saliva or mucous, from infected animals or people. The MERS virus is mostly found in single-humped camels (also known as dromedaries).
Direct or
indirect physical contact with camels or
consumption of unpasteurized or undercooked camel food products can lead to MERS-CoV transmission to humans. People infected through contact with camels can then spread the virus to other people. All reported person-to-person transmissions of MERS have been linked to someone who had been in or near the Arabian Peninsula.1
Oāuātāābreak
Since the first case of MERS was reported in 2012 from Saudi Arabia, more than
2600 confirmed cases of MERS have been reported in more than 27 countries. All MERS cases to date have resided in or traveled to the Arabian Peninsula or have been linked to a case who had recently traveled there. In 2015, an outbreak of 186 cases associated with healthcare facilities began when a man returned to South Korea from the Arabian Peninsula. In May 2014 two MERS cases were reported in the United States (Indiana and Florida), both cases were in healthcare workers exposed while working in Saudi Arabia.
Since 2013, more than 140 persons have been investigated in California for possible infection with the MERS coronavirus. All have tested negative; the risk of MERS in California has been very low. No travel warnings or restrictions have been issued related to MERS-CoV.
1Countries in or near the Arabian Peninsula include Bahrain; Iraq; Iran; Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza; Jordan; Kuwait; Lebanon; Oman; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Syria; the United Arab Emirates (UAE); and Yemen.
