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The first report of a novel coronavirus causing human infection on the Arabian Peninsula was received in September 2012. By June 7, 2013, the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) — as is it now known — had caused 55 confirmed cases, all of which were linked to four countries: Saudi Arabia (40 cases), Qatar, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates. Four additional countries — the U.K., Italy, France, and Tunisia — have reported cases in returning travelers and their close contacts. To date, no cases have been reported in the U.S.
Person-to-person spread in nosocomial environments, both to other patients and to healthcare personnel, has been documented. The median age of patients is 56 years; 72% are female. The incubation peri…