Emerging Infectious Diseases (Apr 2017)

Surveillance and Testing for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, Saudi Arabia, April 2015–February 2016

  • Abdulaziz A. Bin Saeed,
  • Glen R. Abedi,
  • Abdullah G. Alzahrani,
  • Iyad Salameh,
  • Fatima Abdirizak,
  • Raafat Alhakeem,
  • Homoud Algarni,
  • Osman A. El Nil,
  • Mutaz Mohammed,
  • Abdullah M. Assiri,
  • Hail M. Alabdely,
  • John T. Watson,
  • Susan I. Gerber

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2304.161793
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 23, no. 4
pp. 682 – 685

Abstract

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Saudi Arabia has reported >80% of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases worldwide. During April 2015–February 2016, Saudi Arabia identified and tested 57,363 persons (18.4/10,000 residents) with suspected MERS-CoV infection; 384 (0.7%) tested positive. Robust, extensive, and timely surveillance is critical for limiting virus transmission.

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