Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
Updated: May 15, 2014
Travel Health Notice
Since April 2012, cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have been identified in the following countries in the Middle East: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait and most recently Yemen and Lebanon.Cases linked to travel in the Middle East have also been reported in several other countries: France, Italy, Tunisia, the United Kingdom and most recently, in Egypt, Malaysia, Greece, the United States, the Philippines and the Netherlands.
There is growing evidence that direct or indirect contact with camels play a significant role in the virus transmission. Some of the infections have occurred in clusters between individuals in close contact with one another (e.g. within the same household) and an increasing number of infections have occurred among health care workers in health care settings, indicating the importance of following strict infection control practices. This suggests that the virus can spread between humans, however, there has been no sustained person-to-person transmission and the risk of contracting this infection is still considered to be low.... http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/tmp-pmv/notices-avis/notices-avis-eng.php?id=108
