Situation update on MERS-CoV, July–August 2016

During the months of July and August 2016, no cluster of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases was reported from Saudi Arabia or elsewhere. During the months of July and August, a total 12 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS, including two deaths were reported from Saudi Arabia.
During the first eight months of 2016, Bahrain (1 death), Jordan (2 cases), Saudi Arabia (171 cases, including 49 deaths), Qatar (3 cases, including 1 death) and United Arab Emirates (2 cases) reported laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS. Compared to a similar time period in 2015 (January–August), there has been a 56% decline in the number of MERS cases reported during the same corresponding period in 2016.
The demographic and epidemiological characteristics of the cases reported in 2016 do not show any significant dierence when compared with cases reported from 2012 to 2015 (combined).
The age group of those aged 50–59 years continues to be the group at highest risk for acquiring infection as primary cases, while the group at highest risk for acquiring infection as secondary cases is those aged 30–39 years. The majority of deaths among primary and secondary cases have occurred in the age groups of 50–59 and 70–79 years, respectively.