Search Here

Based on a retrospective study, the first case of a MERS coronavirus outbreak dates back to 2012 in the Middle Eastern country of Jordan. According to the researchers from the Jordanian health ministry and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) based in Atlanta, GA, the first outbreak of this virus infected at least 10 people with two confirmed cases of death. Dating the origins of this virus, known as the Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), could help researchers track the spread of the virus and get a better idea of how this virus could affect the global community.

The researchers of this study reviewed 124 blood samples that were being tested for antibodies that developed to fight against MERS-CoV. These tests revealed that eight people were indeed infected with two additional infected cases that resulted in death. According to Dr. Mohammad Al-Abdallat, six of the eight cases were already known to be sick at the time of the outbreak.

The researchers found that these cases occurred in Zarqa, which is southwest of Amman in Jordan. When the outbreak happened, the virus was not recognized and thus, the 10 cases went unnoticed. If these cases were to be added to the current count by the World Health Organization (WHO), the MERS-CoV would be responsible for 72 global cases with 38 of them being fatal. So far, the new coronavirus has afflicted Saudi Arabia the most with 49 confirmed cases and 32 deaths in that country alone. The virus has also been tracked and has been confirmed in France, Britain and Germany.