2018 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak

The 2018 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak was a set of infections of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV). The cases were most numerous in, and are believed to have originated from, Saudi Arabia.

2018 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak

Liverpool Seoul New York City Confirmed MERS cases Suspected MERS cases
Date	23 August 2018 – 14 February 2020
Location	Confirmed cases: Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, South Korea Suspected cases: United States[1][2]
Casualties
Confirmed Cases: 193[3] Suspected Cases: ~150 Deaths: 56[3]

250 cases of MERS were recorded in 2017, and 249 in 2016.[3] In 2018, there was an early surge in cases, with 21 confirmed cases in February.[4] However, over the whole year, cases were down compared to previous years, with 147 recorded cases.[3]

MERS-CoV

Main article: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV)

The syndrome originates in countries on the Arabian peninsula, and there is a low general risk to any travelers. Symptoms usually appear 2 to 14 days after exposure, and include fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.[5]

Annual summaries

Total laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS world-wide per year were as follows:[6][7][8]

Year	Cases
2012	14[8]
2013	100[8]
2014	381[8]
2015	492[7]
2016	249[7]
2017	250[7]
2018	147[7]
2019	217 [6]
2020	61 (to June) [9]

Background of cases

It was reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) on June 18, 2018 that there were 75 laboratory confirmed cases of the syndrome in Saudi Arabia.[10] The first observed case outside of the Middle East was diagnosed on August 23, 2018 in the United Kingdom, being the first case in 5 years in the country.[11] A second case was detected on September 8, 2018 of a South Korean man who was traveling from the Middle East, being the first diagnosis in that country since the 2015 outbreak.[12] There were also hundreds of expected cases in United States and other parts of the World, most of which were eventually diagnosed as being not MERS infections.[2][13]

Full year totals were as follows:[7]

Country	Confirmed cases	Suspected cases	Deaths
Saudi Arabia	145[7]	?	41[7]
Oman	1	?	0[7]
United Arab Emirates	1	?	0[7]
South Korea	1 (travel-associated)	0?	0[7]
United Kingdom	1 (travel-associated)	0?	0[7]
United States	0	~100?	0

Response

The Ministry of Health in the Republic of Korea monitored at least 21 individuals who were in close contact with the confirmed case, and placed all identified close contacts in quarantine at their homes.[14]

World Health Organization

The confirmed case in Korea did not change the World Health Organization (WHO) overall global risk assessment for the disease, and WHO also stated that any additional confirmed cases would also not change the risk, which was deemed as low.[14] However, it does recommend countries to continue to monitor potential cases and to carefully record any unusual patterns.

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

After the confirmed case in the United Kingdom, the ECDC repeated their risk assessment[15] that close contacts of confirmed cases must be monitored for symptoms for at least 14 days after the last exposure. The organization also repeated that cases of the syndrome were not unexpected and had been observed in Europe before, and the risk of transmission to the general population from the confirmed case was extremely low.[16]

See also

• COVID-19 pandemic

References

1. "Officials: Two flights land at PHL after passengers exhibit flu-like symptoms". www.fox29.com. 7 September 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
2. "More flights from Middle East arrive with ill passengers". www.nbcnews.com. 7 September 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
3. Pandemic Epidemic Diseases news: Infectious disease outbreaks reported in the Eastern Mediterranean region in 2018 Between 12 January through 31 May 2018, the National IHR Focal Point of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reported 75 laboratory confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS_CoV), including twenty-three (23) deaths. Date www.emro.who.int, accessed 29 January 2020
4. Table of Laboratory-confirmed cases in Saudi Arabia, Jan-May 2018 www.who.int, accessed 29 January 2020
5. "IAMAT | Middle East Respiratory Syndrome". www.iamat.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
6. MERS-CoV worldwide overview Situation update, 6 December 2020 www.ecdc.europa.eu, accessed 7 February 2020
7. Epidemic and pandemic-prone diseases Infectious disease outbreaks reported in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in 2018 See 8. Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) www.emro.who.int, accessed 29 January 2020
8. "Rapid Risk Assessment: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) — Seventeenth update, 11 June 2015" (PDF). European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
10. "Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia". World Health Organization. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
11. "First case of deadly MERS virus in five years diagnosed in England". www.cnn.com. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
12. "South Korean man infected by MERS virus, first case in 3 years". www.reuters.com. 8 September 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
13. "South Korea searching for 50 foreigners possibly exposed to Mers". www.straitstimes.com. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
14. "Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection – Republic of Korea". World Health Organization. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
15. EDCD (11 June 2015). "Rapid Risk Assessment - Middle Ease Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)" (PDF). EDCE Risk Assessment. 1: 1–11.
16. "New case of MERS-CoV identified in the United Kingdom". European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-13.