Key facts about MERS Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS),first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012, is an illness caused by a coronavirus – part of a family of viruses that includes the common cold. It is closely related to SARS*, which infected 8,000 people across the world and killed almost 800 before it was stopped in 2004 *Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SYMPTOMS Develop between two and 14 days after exposure. Most people experience fever, cough and shortness of breath. Complications include pneumonia and kidney failure. About 36% ofpatients die. Some infected peopleexhibit mild or no symptoms PEOPLE AT RISK Older people andthose with weakened immune systems orpre-existing medical conditions – such as cancer, diabetes and chronic lung, heart or kidney disease – appear to be at greater risk of contracting MERS or having severe case of disease SOURCE OF VIRUS Disease believed to have originated in bats and transmitted to camels in distant past. Strains of MERS coronavirus identical to those found in humans have been isolated from camels in severalcountries, including Egypt, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia TRANSMISSION Usually by coughing and sneezing, on droplets of saliva or mucus. Virus does not appear to pass easily from person to person except by close contact, such as providing unprotected care to infected patient. No evidence of sustained human-to-human spread TREATMENT / PREVENTION No vaccine or antiviral medicine available. Risk of infection can be reduced by good hand and respiratory hygiene. People advised to avoid personal contact with sick people, touching sick animals and consuming raw or undercooked animal products DISTRIBUTION OF CASES More than 85 percentof MERS infectionssince 2012 have beenreported in SaudiArabia. Most caseselsewhere in world are thought to have been acquired inMiddle East and exported outside of region. Outbreak in South Korea islargest outside of Middle East Sources: WHO, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Pictures: AP, Getty Images, Wikimedia, Flickr/Tina Franklin