On Oct. 2, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced it had been notified of one human case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) on Sept. 5 2024, by the Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

The case is a male from the Eastern Region of KSA aged between 50-55 years, with underlying health conditions. He had no history of contact with camels and was not a health worker. The follow-up of close contacts has been completed, and no secondary cases have been detected. Since the beginning of the year, five cases including four deaths have been reported from KSA. The notification of this case does not change WHO’s overall risk assessment, which remains moderate at both the global and regional levels.

The patient is a non-health worker with several co-morbidities. Following field investigation, there was no evidence of interaction with camels. In KSA, follow-up has been completed for one household member, 23 health workers, and two patients who had contact with the case, with no secondary cases reported. Among close contacts listed in KSA, one travelled from Saudi Arabia to South Asia on 4 September. Flight details and personal information were retrieved to initiate contact tracing and follow-up, and no secondary cases have been identified in connection with this high-risk contact.

Following the notification on 5 September 2024 from the International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point (NFP) of KSA to the Pakistan IHR NFP regarding the patient’s travel and positive MERS-CoV results, the patient was located in Pakistan, and the health authorities proceeded to transfer the patient to a public hospital for strict isolation and management of existing comorbidities.

A total of 41 nasopharyngeal samples, including repeat samples of the case and close contacts were collected and tested at the Pakistan National Institute for Health/National Reference Laboratory. The patient tested positive, albeit with a low viral load, while all contacts tested negative. Close contacts, including family members and health workers, were closely monitored for 14 days, and no secondary cases have been identified.

The patient was discharged on 13 September after receiving a negative test result for MERS-CoV, along with instructions to continue oral medication and to return for a follow-up appointment in five days. This follow-up was successfully completed on 19 September, confirming the patient’s full recovery.

Since the beginning of the year, a total of five cases including four deaths have been reported from KSA, and this is the first case reported since the last Disease Outbreak News was published on 8 May 2024.