faulker024

The eight countries reporting Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases through September 11, 2013 are color coded by frequency of reported cases in the map below.   The numbers presented for all countries, with the exception of Saudi Arabia,   are presumed to be accurate.   The count from Saudi Arabia is uncertain due to poor case reporting from the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health.   The local cluster outbreaks in the countries of France, Italy, Tunisia, and the United Kingdom are a result of the human-to-human infection. In each of these country clusters, the index case had recently returned from a trip to the Middle East.    World map of MERS--CoV cases as of September 11, 2013.

A family cluster of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has been reported from Hafar Al-Batin in northern Saudi Arabia. Five these individuals have been reported to World Health Organization (WHO) by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health (MOH). There is uncertainty surrounding the family relationships among these infected individuals however Arabic media reports (noted below) allow a tentative construction of the kinship relations among these cases as depicted below. According to the reconstruction, 3 generations in this family have been infected with the disease. Besides this family cluster, the Saudi MOH is reporting four other MERS-CoV cases from Hafar Al-Batin that may be associated with this family cluster. Three of the other four cases as noted below are reported to have had contact with MERS-CoV infected individuals.  Family relationships of this cluster are reported at FluTrackers. link: http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=508482...

The announcement today of an additional 10-12 asymptomatic MERS cases in Florence, Italy, raises the specter of silent human-to-human transmission.  The map depicts the locations of clusters of confirmed and suspected MERS-CoV cases in Europe and North Africa.