9 January 2013 – To date, a total of nine laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with the novel human coronavirus have been reported to WHO – five cases, including three deaths, from Saudi Arabia, two cases from Qatar and two cases (both fatal) from Jordan.

The novel coronavirus first raised concerns in September 2012 when it caused severe respiratory disease in two patients from the Region. The subsequent discovery of two clusters of cases, one in a family in Saudi Arabia and the second in a group of health care workers in Jordan, increased the urgency of better understanding the virus. The potential of the virus to cause widespread serious consequences is thought to be significant, yet current knowledge of its epidemiology and natural history of infection with this agent is limited. Many critical questions about the source of the virus, its potential for transmission, important exposures and the clinical appearance of disease remain unanswered.

Many activities have already been conducted in investigating the new virus and managing its public health consequences. Within this context, WHO has organized a technical consultative meeting to take place at the WHO Regional Office in Cairo from 14 to 15 January 2013 on the novel human coronavirus. The meeting will bring together representatives of the three countries already affected, in addition to key partners and WHO collaborating centres involved in managing this public health issue, together with WHO experts.