One Case of MERS-CoV in Germany is Reported to WHO

On March 7, 2015, the National IHR Focal Point for Germany notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of one case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection.

The case is a 65-year-old, male, German citizen who returned on Feb. 8 to Germany from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He developed symptoms on Feb. 10 and was hospitalized in an intensive care unit one week later. The MERS-CoV infection was laboratory confirmed on two samples; the latest sample was taken on March 5. Currently, the patient is in a severe but stable condition.

All necessary, recommended, preventive and control measures have been applied since Feb. 23 at the hospital where the patient is being treated. Contact tracing of all possible contacts is ongoing for this case. So far, no additional cases have been identified.

Globally, WHO has been notified of 1041 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 383 related deaths.

Source: WHO