Epidemiological characteristics of MERS cases reported in Saudi Arabia, 2018

Lee Jia, Lee Sunkyu
Division of Risk Assessment & International Cooperation, Center for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, KCDC

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is viral respiratory illness caused by Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and characterized by fever, cough and shortness of breath. Since the first human Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) infection in 2012, MERS cases have been reported annually, mainly from Saudi Arabia. According to reports from the Saudi Ministry of Health and WHO International Health Regulations (2005), 144 MERS-confirmed cases, including 47 deaths, were identified in 2018. In reviewing the monthly trend in 2018, the highest number of cases was reported in both January and February (23 cases), and the number of cases in 2018 was much lower than that of the 3-year average from 2015 to 2017, except in January. Only 36 secondary infections were identified from 8 small-sized outbreaks, consisting of 3 hospital-related and 5 household events. Most MERS-confirmed cases were male (81.1%), and had underlying diseases (76.9%), with a mean age of 54.9 years and a fatality rate of 32.2%. For high-risk groups, cases with camel contact or hospitalized patients were male dominant, of older age, prone to underlying diseases, and demonstrated a higher fatality rate compared to those with household contact and healthcare providers. Since there are no available vaccines or therapeutics for MERS, prevention is always the key in protecting oneself from MERS infection.

Keywords: Middle East respiratory syndrome, Saudi Arabia, Humans