The Saudi Ministry of Health confirmed that what has been circulating recently regarding the World Health Organization's report on Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) involves a degree of confusion and misunderstanding.
Saudi Health Ministry responds to WHO report on MERS outbreak
Saudi Health Ministry: WHO report on MERS virus is not cause for concern
The Saudi Deputy Minister of Health for Population Health, Abdullah Asiri, explained that the report issued is a routine periodic report that does not contain any exceptional indicators or warnings of a new outbreak.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry said via his official account on the “X” platform that infections with the “MERS” virus have recorded a sharp decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, and are still at very low levels, reassuring that “the health situation is stable and does not warrant concern.”
Asiri explained that the virus has not undergone any new genetic changes and is still endemic in camels, with the possibility of transmission in limited cases to people who come into contact with them if they do not adhere to the known preventive measures, stressing that this pattern has been known and monitored for years.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus (MERS-CoV, or coronavirus).
It was discovered in 2012 in the Kingdom and is mainly transmitted from animals to humans, but it can also be transmitted from person to person. It is a zoonotic virus.
Scientific studies indicate that people become infected through direct or indirect contact with camels, which causes severe infections and a high mortality rate.
Common symptoms of the disease include: fever and cough, shortness of breath, and pneumonia in some cases.
