MERS in Saudi Arabia

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is an infectious disease that causes shortness of breath, coughing and fever and kills about a third of those infected. Incidents of MERS, first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, have skyrocketed in 2014, generating concern of an epidemic in the region. Of the 339 total recorded cases in Saudi Arabia, 143 were reported since the beginning of April. 

The coronavirus, while highly virulent, is not known to spread easily. It is known to spread through close contact with infected persons (kissing, sharing cups, etc.). If you’re around infected persons, the CDC advises washing your hands often and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

The bulk of MERS cases are in Saudi Arabia. A health care worker who left Riyadh on April 24 and traveled via London and Chicago to Indiana, where he was hospitalized on April 27, was the first case to arise in the US.