Status of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

In September 2012, a case of novel coronavirus (CoV) infection was reported in Saudi Arabia. It is caused by a CoV called Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Eight countries have reported the virus so far, with most of the reported cases from Saudi Arabia. Fatality rate is about 44% and most people who have been confirmed to have MERS-CoV developed severe acute respiratory illness. There is very limited information on transmission, severity and clinical impact with only small number of cases reported so far. However, the virus has not shown to spread in sustained way in communities. There is no available vaccine or proven treatment for this novel virus; however, there are several treatment protocols under trail. Healthcare is provided to infected individuals by alleviating symptoms and treating its complications; nevertheless the situation is still evolving.