A 28-year-old male expatriate became the first case of MERS virus in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this year.
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory infection caused by the coronavirus known as MERS-CoV.
Humans can get infected from direct or indirect contact with infected dromedary camels which can cause severe illness in humans resulting in high mortality.
Symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
The patient had no history of travel outside the UAE nor any history of direct or indirect contact with camels, goats, or sheep.
All 108 contacts, who were all healthcare workers, were monitored for 14 days and tested negative for the virus.
No vaccine or specific treatment to address the virus is currently available, although some of them are under clinical development.
No further cases have been detected in the country as of date.
