Where did MERS come from?
Researchers think that MERS, SARS and COVID-19 originated in bats, then spread to other animals before jumping to humans.
- MERS-CoV spread to camels and then to humans.
- SARS-CoV reached humans through civets (small mammals found in Africa and Asia).
- Scientists don’t yet know what type of animal spread COVID-19 to people.
How is MERS transmitted?
Like some other infectious diseases, MERS-CoV is present in your respiratory tract. You transmit it through coughing.
MERS is contagious. However, it does not spread quickly, unlike COVID-19, which spread rapidly around the world. MERS transmission requires close contact, such as between family members or in a healthcare setting. Health officials have not observed community-wide spread of MERS.
You can also get MERS from camels. In Saudi Arabia and surrounding countries, camels have strains of MERS that match human strains. This suggests active transmission of MERS from camels to people.
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What are the symptoms of MERS?
A person with MERS may have no symptoms, mild cold-like symptoms or a severe life-threatening illness. Typically, people with MERS develop respiratory symptoms that include:
Some people have also reported diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. MERS symptoms usually appear within two to 14 days after exposure to the virus.
What are possible complications of MERS?
In severe cases, MERS progresses to pneumonia and respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. Kidney failure can also occur.
About 35% of people with MERS have died. However, the actual percentage may be lower because it does not include mild cases that go undiagnosed and unreported.
Those most likely to develop severe disease have underlying health conditions that weaken the immune system, such as:
- Cancer.
- Chronic heart disease.
- Chronic kidney disease.
- Chronic lung disease.
- Diabetes.
