(AGENPARL) - Roma, 17 Ottobre 2026 - Friday, 16 October 2026

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Disease Outbreak News on the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was published on 15 October 2026.

Situation at a glance

Between 1 January and 5 October 2026, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reported eight laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including one death.

Cases were detected across six locations: Al Jouf (1), Arar (1), Hafr Al-Batin (1), Riyadh (2), Tabuk (1) and Taif (2). No epidemiological links were identified between any of the cases. All eight cases were symptomatic, most commonly presenting with fever (6/8), dyspnea (5/8), and cough (4/8). None were health and care workers. Infection was confirmed by RT-PCR testing.

MERS is a zoonotic viral respiratory disease for which dromedary camels serve as the primary animal reservoir and two cases reported direct contact with camels while six reported no known camel exposure. Seven of eight cases had underlying comorbidities, recognized risk factors for severe MERS-CoV disease. The cases appear to represent sporadic infections related to zoonotic spillover rather than a single outbreak cluster.

Further information, including the description of the situation, public health response and WHO risk assessment and advice, can be found in the full text of the Disease Outbreak News (DON): [