Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
Epidemiological update: MERS-CoV case imported to Turkey
22 Oct 2014
On 18 October 2014, the Ministry of Health Turkey reported that a Turkish citizen working in Saudi Arabia died on 11 October 2014, ten days after onset of a confirmed MERS-CoV infection. The case returned to Turkey on 10 October 2014. It is assumed that the case was symptomatic during the flight. The local health authorities are conducting contact tracing.
Worldwide situation
Overall, 906 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS-CoV have been reported to the public health authorities worldwide, including 361 deaths as of 21 October 2014 (Figure 1).
Most of the cases have occurred in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, Yemen, Lebanon and Iran) (Table 1).
Between 1 September and 21 October 2014, the health authorities in Saudi Arabia reported 29 cases, 15 of which were in Taif. Twenty-four of them (83%) are male, of which 20 (83%) above 40 years of age. Comorbidities were reported in 20 of the 29 cases. Four cases were reported among healthcare workers. Several cases had contact with animals, including camels, and some reported having drunk camel milk.
On 20 October, the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia issued a press release about the implementation of measures to control the cluster of cases in Taif, in particular addressing the dialysis units.
Conclusions
• According to the pattern observed in 2012 and 2013, more cases could be observed in the coming weeks.
• The latest importation to the EU (Austria) and to Turkey are not unexpected and do not indicate a significant change in the epidemiology of the disease. Importation of MERS-CoV cases to the EU remains possible. However, the risk of sustained human-to-human transmission remains very low in Europe.
ECDC
22 Oct 2014
On 18 October 2014, the Ministry of Health Turkey reported that a Turkish citizen working in Saudi Arabia died on 11 October 2014, ten days after onset of a confirmed MERS-CoV infection. The case returned to Turkey on 10 October 2014. It is assumed that the case was symptomatic during the flight. The local health authorities are conducting contact tracing.
Worldwide situation
Overall, 906 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS-CoV have been reported to the public health authorities worldwide, including 361 deaths as of 21 October 2014 (Figure 1).
Most of the cases have occurred in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, Yemen, Lebanon and Iran) (Table 1).
Between 1 September and 21 October 2014, the health authorities in Saudi Arabia reported 29 cases, 15 of which were in Taif. Twenty-four of them (83%) are male, of which 20 (83%) above 40 years of age. Comorbidities were reported in 20 of the 29 cases. Four cases were reported among healthcare workers. Several cases had contact with animals, including camels, and some reported having drunk camel milk.
On 20 October, the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia issued a press release about the implementation of measures to control the cluster of cases in Taif, in particular addressing the dialysis units.
Conclusions
• According to the pattern observed in 2012 and 2013, more cases could be observed in the coming weeks.
• The latest importation to the EU (Austria) and to Turkey are not unexpected and do not indicate a significant change in the epidemiology of the disease. Importation of MERS-CoV cases to the EU remains possible. However, the risk of sustained human-to-human transmission remains very low in Europe.
ECDC