Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is caused by a coronavirus, with a case fatality rate of 36% in humans. Dromedary camels are the reservoir host from which the virus sporadically spills over to humans. Onwards human-to-human transmission has been observed in health care and, to a lesser extent, community settings.
Since its first detection in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in mid-2012, MERS-CoV has been reported from 27 countries in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, the United States of America, and Asia, with 2604 laboratory-confirmed cases and 936 associated deaths to date.
MERS-CoV is on the WHO list of pathogens with epidemic potential, prioritized for research and development in emergency contexts. The zoonotic origin of MERS-CoV means that a One Health approach is key to tackling the virus.
This webinar asked: why does global work on MERS-CoV prevention, surveillance and control remain important for pandemic preparedness and prevention? What has been learnt from MERS and what gaps still remain?
Speakers:
- Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Technical Lead, COVID-19 Response, WHO Health Emergencies programme, WHO
- Dr Sophie von Dobschuetz, Technical Lead MERS-CoV and novel Coronaviruses, WHO
- Dr Malik Peiris, Professor of Virology, School of Public Health, University of Hong Kong
- Dr Emad Almohammadi, Chief Officer of Communicable Diseases in the Saudi Public Health Authority
Panelists for Q&A:
- Emma Gardner, Veterinary Epidemiologist and MERS-CoV Coordinator at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- Hala Abou El Naja, Epidemiologist and MERS-CoV Focal Point at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO)
Presentations
- Dr Sophie von Dobschuetz (Download PDF)
- Dr Malik Peiris (Download PDF)
- Dr Emad Almohammadi (Download PDF)
Q&A:
Participants will be able to submit questions during the webinar by using Zoom's "Q&A" feature. You may also submit them in advance by sending them to epi-win@who.int.