COVID-19 research efforts have built on earlier research on SARS and MERS, which are also caused by Coronaviruses
December 15, 2021
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is an illness caused by a virus (more specifically, a coronavirus) called Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Most MERS patients developed severe respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath.
MERS-CoV was first identified in Saudi Arabia in the year 2012. Since then, the World Health Organisation has reported nearly 2,000 cases of MERS-CoV infection worldwide. Infected patients have been identified in 27 countries and the highest occurrences have been reported in the Middle East and Korea.
Countries in or near the Arabian Peninsula that have reported MERS cases include: Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. According to the Mayo Clinic, MERS-CoV refers to a viral respiratory illness that’s caused by a coronavirus (CoV), the same family of viruses that can cause the common cold.
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