Taking stock of the first 133 MERS coronavirus cases globally – Is the epidemic changing?

P M Penttinen; K Kaasik-Aaslav; A Friaux; A Donachie; B Sudre; A J Amato-Gauci; Z A Memish; D Coulombier

doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES2013.18.39.20596

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Taking stock of the first 133 MERS coronavirus cases globally – Is the epidemic changing?
P M Penttinen¹ , K Kaasik-Aaslav¹ , A Friaux¹ , A Donachie¹ , B Sudre¹ , A J Amato-Gauci¹ , Z A Memish^2,3 , D Coulombier¹
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Affiliations: ¹ European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden ² Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ³ Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Correspondence:
P Penttinen
Pasi.Penttinen ecdc.europa.eu
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Citation style for this article: Penttinen P M, Kaasik-Aaslav K, Friaux A, Donachie A, Sudre B, Amato-Gauci A J, Memish Z A, Coulombier D. Taking stock of the first 133 MERS coronavirus cases globally – Is the epidemic changing? . Euro Surveill. 2013;18(39):pii=20596. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2013.18.39.20596 Received: 12 Sept 2013

Abstract

Since June 2012, 133 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases have been identified in nine countries. Two time periods in 2013 were compared to identify changes in the epidemiology. The case-fatality risk (CFR) is 45% and is decreasing. Men have a higher CFR (52%) and are over-represented among cases. Thirteen out of 14 known primary cases died. The sex-ratio is more balanced in the latter period. Nosocomial transmission was implied in 26% of the cases.