#14,163
After reporting more than 120 cases in the first 100 days of 2019, MERS activity in Saudi Arabia has slowed, averaging fewer than 3 cases a week since early May.
Halfway through this current Epi week 27, Saudi Arabia's MOH has reported two cases; both primary cases with unknown camel exposure.
While contact with infected camels is a known conduit for reintroducing the MERS virus into the human population, for many primary cases (those outside of healthcare facilities and with no known contact with a MERS case), the source of their infection remains unknown.
Although asymptomatic community transmission, or transmission from mildly symptomatic cases, has been posited as a contributing factor (see study below), how often this happens is unknown.
Asymptomatic Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection: Extent and implications for infection control: A systematic review
Jaffar A.Al-Tawfiq abc Philippe Gautretd
Conclusions
The proportion of asymptomatic MERS cases were detected with increasing frequency as the disease progressed overtime. Those patients were less likely to have comorbid disease and may contribute to the transmission of the virus.
The good news is, so far we've seen no signs of any sustained or efficient transmission of the MERS virus outside of some healthcare facilities and a few households.
The big unknown, of course, is that the MERS virus continues to evolve and adapt - and while it may not be equipped to spark a pandemic today - no one can say what tomorrow will bring.
