#11,574
The Saudi MOH has announced their 6th MERS case of the month, a primary case from Taif.
Despite a relatively quiet summer on the MERS front, we continue to see sporadic community acquired cases pop up around the country.
Yesterday's EID Journal: Estimation of Severe MERS Cases in the Middle East, 2012–2016, is a reminder that public health surveillance probably only picks up 40% of the severe cases in the Middle East.
How many mild, or asymptomatic cases go unnoticed is unknown, but the anecdotal evidence suggests it is sizable (see Saudi MOH On KKUH MERS Outbreak & Increased Asymptomatic Detections).
With the start of the Hajj now only two weeks away, and roughly 3 million visitors expected to take part in this year's pilgrimage, public health agencies around the globe will once again be on elevated alert for the possibility of seeing exported cases from the Middle East.
