MERS: 9 cases and 2 deaths in Saudi Arabia

Between March 1 and April 21, 2025, the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia has documented nine cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS), with two fatalities. Notably, an outbreak of seven cases has been detected in Riyadh. This cluster includes six health professionals who contracted the infection while providing care to a single infected patient. None of the patients reportedly had a known history of direct interaction with camels or their products. Since the initial reporting of MERS in Saudi Arabia in 2012, a cumulative total of 2,627 laboratory-confirmed cases, accompanied by 946 deaths, have been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from 27 countries across all six WHO regions. Most cases, specifically 2,218 or 84%, have occurred in Saudi Arabia. After 2019, there have been no reports of human MERS infections from nations outside the Middle East. In response to the reported infections, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an alert, reiterating the assessment that the risk posed by this virus remains at a moderate level on both a global and regional scale. Consequently, the WHO advises implementing preventive and control measures against MERS infections to limit their propagation and instances of human-to-human transmission.