Mers, new outbreak in Saudi Arabia: 9 cases and 2 deaths. WHO: moderate risk

New cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome recorded between March and April 2025, with a cluster of infections among health workers in Riyadh. WHO reiterates: “The virus remains a threat in endemic areas”

The Middle East Coronavirus Respiratory Syndrome (Mers-CoV) has struck again in Saudi Arabia, where nine cases, two of them fatal, were reported between 1 March and 21 April. The communication came from the Saudi Ministry of Health to the World Health Organisation (WHO), which issued an international alert today.

An outbreak of 7 cases was identified in the capital Riyadh, involving 6 health workers who contracted the infection while caring for a single infected patient. Four of them were asymptomatic, while two others showed mild, non-specific symptoms. Only one of the total nine cases had indirect contact with camels, considered to be the main reservoir of the virus.

Since the first case of Mers in 2012, 2,627 confirmed cases have been reported to the WHO in 27 countries, with 946 deaths (36% mortality rate). The vast majority of infections (84%) occurred in Saudi Arabia. No human cases had been recorded outside the Middle East since 2019.

The WHO clarified that these new cases do not change the overall risk assessment, which is still considered moderate regionally and globally. However, the UN agency stresses that the virus continues to pose a threat in areas where it circulates among dromedaries, reiterating the importance of prevention and control measures to prevent the spread of the virus in health care settings and transmission between humans.

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