Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)

Key facts

• MERS is a severe respiratory disease caused by MERS-coronavirus (MERS‐CoV), a new virus first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
• Typical MERS symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath.
• Pneumonia is common but not always present. Gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea, have also been reported.
• Travellers to the Middle East have acquired the infection after exposure to infected animals, animal products or human cases (such as in a health care setting).

For more information, read the MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV) fact sheet.

Travel advice

MERS has been identified and linked to human infections in dromedary camels in several countries in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

Anyone travelling to these areas should review the travel advice and remain alert for symptoms.

For further travel advice, see:

• Australian Department of Health Information for travellers about MERS
• World Health Organization - Middle East respiratory syndrome updates
• Australian Government's Smartraveller:
• Travel advice for Saudi Arabia 
• Advice for travellers planning to perform Hajj 

Risk from camels

Camels in the Middle East are suspected to be the primary source of infection for humans.

Travellers in the Middle East should:

• avoid all contact with camels 
• not drink raw camel milk or camel urine
• not eat camel meat unless it has been properly cooked.

Hospital outbreaks

MERS-CoV does not seem to pass easily from person to person but transmission is more likely in certain settings, such as occurs when providing unprotected care to a patient.

Hospitals outbreaks of MERS-CoV are well known, making the strict and timely application of appropriate infection prevention and control measures vital.