Two MERS deaths reported in Saudi Arabia: WHO

Al Arabiya

13-05-2025

Nine new cases of MERS, including two deaths, have been reported in Saudi Arabia, according to the World Health Organization
The cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – a disease typically transmitted by camels – were reported between March 1 and April 21, 2025, according to the WHO.
Among the nine cases, a cluster of seven cases were identified in Riyadh, including six health and care workers who acquired the infection from caring for a single infected patient. Of the reported cases, five were male and four were female.
Of the cases, only one had indirect contact with camels. The rest of the patients had no known history of contact with camels or camel products.
The cluster was identified through contact tracing and subsequent testing of all contacts, with four of the six health and care workers being asymptomatic and two showing only mild, nonspecific signs including myalgia, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.
'These cases show that the virus continues to pose a threat in countries where it is circulating in dromedary camels and spilling over into the human population,' a WHO statement read Tuesday. 'WHO recommends implementation of targeted infection prevention and control (IPC) measures to prevent the spread of health-care-associated infections of MERS-CoV and onward human transmission.'
Since the first report of MERS in Saudi Arabia in 2012, a total of 2,627 laboratory-confirmed cases, with 946 associated have been reported to WHO from 27 countries, across all six WHO regions. The majority of cases (2,218; 84 percent), have been reported from Saudi Arabia. Since 2019, no human MERS-CoV infections have been reported from countries outside the Middle East.
The global health body also said that it has been monitoring the epidemiological situation related to MERS-CoV and conducting risk assessments based on the latest information.
As a general precaution, WHO advises anyone visiting farms, markets, barns, or other places where dromedaries are present should practice available hygiene measures, including regular hand washing after touching animals, avoiding touching eyes, nose, or mouth with hands, and avoiding contact with sick animals.