France has confirmed its first two cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in more than a decade, raising fears of a new infectious disease emerging on a continent still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two cases – both involving travelers who had visited the Arabian Peninsula – were reported at the beginning of December 2025, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in France to four (including one death).
Seventeen of these cases originated in Saudi Arabia, and two in France. This comes at a time when adenovirus cases continue to rise globally, and although most infections are mild, doctors are urging adults and children to be aware of the signs and symptoms.
In an update, the World Health Organization said: "Between June 4 and December 21, 2025, the Saudi Ministry of Health reported a total of seven cases of MERS-CoV infection, including two deaths."
While these cases do not alter the overall risk assessment, which remains moderate at both the global and regional levels, they do demonstrate that the virus continues to pose a threat in certain countries. The virus is known to infect camels and has a high mortality rate of approximately 37%, although its ability to spread between humans is relatively limited. Genetic sequencing has confirmed that the two strains discovered in France match those circulating in the Arabian Peninsula.
French authorities immediately traced all 34 contacts of the infected individuals, and no secondary infections were recorded as of December 19. The European Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) considers the risk of widespread transmission to be "very low," but the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of the possibility of delayed diagnosis due to the similarity of symptoms to other common respiratory illnesses, which could allow for undetected transmission.
While emphasizing the lessons learned from COVID, the WHO advises "strengthening surveillance with immediate notification of all suspected and confirmed cases," along with strict infection prevention in healthcare settings.
The organization advises avoiding raw camel products and maintaining a safe distance from camels, noting that: "People with these underlying medical conditions should avoid close contact with animals, especially camels, when visiting farms, markets, or animal enclosures where the virus may be spreading."
This report comes at a time when experts have discovered a new coronavirus transmitted by bats in Brazil, but the virus's impact on humans remains unclear.
Symptoms of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) include fever, cough, shortness of breath, diarrhea, and vomiting, and the virus can be fatal in severe cases. There is currently no vaccine against the virus.
The new coronavirus was discovered by researchers from São Paulo and Ceará working alongside colleagues from the University of Hong Kong. This new coronavirus shares similarities with the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, first discovered in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. Since its discovery, the virus has caused more than 850 deaths, and cases have been reported in more than 20 countries.
