MERS situation update: July 2023

The aim of this situation update is to provide the epidemiological status of MERS in the Region in order to aid better planning, coordination and response. The information in this document has been reported to WHO by Ministries of Health. For further information, contact: Tel + 20-2-22765492, Fax + 20-2-2765456 E-mail: emrgohspoutbreak@who Published by World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Monazamet El Seha El Alamia Str,Extension of Abdel Razak El Sanhouri Street P.O. Box 7608, Nasr City Cairo 11371, Egypt www.emro.who.int © World Health Organization 2023 MERS SITUATION UPDATE July 2023 Document number: WHO-EM/CSR/674/E Fig. 5. Age and fatality distribution of primary and secondary cases of MERS reported from Saudi Arabia June 2012 – July 2023 00-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89 90&> 90 % Ag e Gr ou p Survived Died Primary Secondary 2025 15 10 5 0 5 10 15 20 25 Fig. 3. MERS cases per week of onset in Saudi Arabia, June 2012 – July 2023 Survived Died 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 N um be r o f M ER S ca se s Epi week HIGHLIGHTS From April 2012 till July 2023, a total of 2605 laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) was reported globally, with 936 associated deaths at a case-fatality ratio (CFR) of 36%. The majority of these cases were reported from Saudi Arabia, with 2196 cases and 855 related deaths (CFR: 39%). During the month of July 2023, no new cases were reported. The demographic and epidemiological characteristics of reported cases do not show any significant differences when compared with the same corresponding period between 2016 and 2023. Among primary cases, 50–59 year-olds are at the highest risk for acquiring infection and among secondary cases the 30–39 year-olds are at the highest risk. Among both primary and secondary cases, CFR is higher within the age group of 70–79 years-old. . . . . SUMMARY 2605 Laboratory-confirmed cases reported since April 2012 936 Deaths reported since April 2012 27 Countries reported cases globally 12 Countries reported cases since April 2012 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region 0 New cases Table. 3. Characteristics of MERS cases reported from Saudi Arabia, June 2012 - July 2023 Type of case Grand Total Primary Secondary 2012 4 1 5 2013 71 91 162 2014 292 371 663 2015 234 219 453 2016 163 85 248 2017 148 88 236 2018 102 39 141 2019 128 77 205 2020 49 10 59 2021 18 0 18 2023 1 0 1 2022 5 0 5 Grand Total 1215 981 2196 Survived2023 Died January February March April May June July Total 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Table. 1. Number of MERS cases in the Easter Mediterranean Region by month and outcome in 2023 Fig. 2. Community versus hospital acquired MERS cases in Eastern Mediterranean Region, January 2014 – July 2023 Community acquired Hospital acquired 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 N um be r o f c as es Year Fig. 4. Cases of MERS in healthcare workers reported from Saudi Arabia, January 2013 – July 2023 0 50 100 150 200 250 N um be r o f c as es Month Non-HCW HCW Table. 2. Epidemiological characteristics of MERS cases reported globally between February 2018 – July 2018 and February 2023 – July 2023 Characteristic Number Median age in years Gender (% male) % of Primary Cases % of Secondary cases (%) of Unknown Contact History % of HCW % Fatal Feb 18 - Jul 18 158 55 83 64 36 0 3 29 Feb 19 - Jul 19 205 52 78 64 36 0 14 28 Feb 20 - Jul 20 51 54 86 86 14 0 6 41 Feb 21 - Jul 21 16 62 94 100 0 0 0 44 Feb 22 - Jul 22 10 57 90 88 0 12 0 20 Feb 23 - Jul 23 1 28 100 0 0 100 0 0 Fig. 1. Distribution of MERS reported cases from Eastern Mediterranean Region by week of onset, June 2012 – July 2023 Tunisia United Arab Emirates Bahrain Egypt Iran (Islamic republic of) Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Qatar Yemen Saudi Arabia 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 N um be r o f c as es Epi week GLOBAL AND REGIONAL CASES KSA CASES **Disclaimer: Data are subject to change over time due to lag in reporting. 11 19 27 35 43 51 7 15 23 31 39 47 3 11 19 27 35 43 51 7 15 23 31 39 47 2 10 18 26 34 42 50 6 14 22 30 38 46 2 10 18 26 34 42 50 6 14 22 30 38 46 2 10 18 26 34 42 50 5 13 21 29 37 45 1 9 17 25 33 41 49 5 13 21 29 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 22 31 40 49 6 15 24 33 42 51 8 17 26 35 44 1 10 19 28 37 46 2 11 20 29 38 47 4 13 22 31 40 49 6 15 24 33 42 51 8 17 26 35 44 1 10 19 28 37 46 2 11 20 29 38 47 4 13 22 31 40 49 6 15 24 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023