Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is an illness caused by a coronavirus called Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). MERS affects the lungs and breathing tubes. Most MERS patients develop severe acute respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath. About 30% of them die. It was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012.