Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus - surveillance archive

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or MERS is caused by infection with a novel coronavirus (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus or MERS‐CoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Typical MERS symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Pneumonia is common, but not always present. Gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhoea, have also been reported.  

Humans can be infected through direct or indirect contact with infected dromedary camels, mainly in the Middle East.  However, more than half of the cases reported to date have occurred from human-to-human transmission in health care settings. 

An importation of the virus into the Republic of Korea in 2015 led to the largest MERS outbreak outside of the Middle East. The outbreak resulted in 186 laboratory-confirmed cases and 36 deaths.

It is not unexpected that MERS will occasionally re-appear in the Western Pacific Region. Worldwide, 27 countries have reported cases since the disease was first discovered. In the Western Pacific Region, countries which have experienced imported cases of MERS include China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Republic of Korea.

Through the Regional Event Based Surveillance System, WHO continues to watch for signs of MERS outbreaks or other significant events. However, the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office no longer produces a MERS-specific update on an ongoing basis.