The pattern of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in Saudi Arabia: a descriptive epidemiological analysis of data from the Saudi Ministry of Health

Alghamdi, Ibrahim G; Hussain, Issam I; Almalki, Shaia S; Alghamdi, Mohamed S; Alghamdi, Mansour M; El-Sheemy, Mohammed A

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is considered to be a new viral epidemic, and the infection is associated with acute respiratory illness and renal failure. 1, 2 In September 2012, this coronavirus was discovered and isolated from an infected patient living in Saudi Arabia. 1 The geographic distribution of cases has been mainly confined to six countries in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, and Oman). However, in some countries in Europe and Africa, instances of the disease have been detected in imported cases from endemic countries. MERS-CoV has a very high mortality rate, and complications arising from infection can result in severe respiratory and renal failure. 4 The mode of transmission and the source of MERS-CoV infection (ie, whether it is a zoonotic or human disease) is unclear. 4 Recent research has shown that dromedaries may act as viral reservoirs, and antibodies against MERS-CoV have been found in dromedaries living in both the African and Arabian peninsulas. 5, 6 Despite limited data on MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia, we have attempted to explore the epidemiological distribution of and describe the pattern of infection of this disease by conducting a study of the reports of MERS-CoV published daily by the Saudi Ministry of Health. 7