Headlines - Update on the new coronavirus

In France: The French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) provided an update on November 12 regarding infections linked to the novel coronavirus (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, or MERS-CoV). The first case was diagnosed in France on May 7; the patient died on May 28. Since October 2012, the InVS has received a total of 463 reports; 138 were classified as possible cases, of which 136 underwent biological testing. Two were confirmed (including 1 death). Internationally: The new virus was identified in Saudi Arabia in September 2012 in 2 patients who presented with severe pneumonia. Since April 2012, 153 cases (including 64 deaths) across 10 countries have been confirmed: predominantly in Saudi Arabia with 127 cases (53 deaths), in the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula (Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Oman) with 14 cases including 5 deaths, in Tunisia with 3 cases including 1 death, and in Europe (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy) with 9 cases including 5 deaths.Current knowledge: Epidemiological surveillance has revealed a wide range of clinical presentations and severity, ranging from asymptomatic carriers to severe pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome (62% of deaths). One-third of cases present with gastrointestinal symptoms. More than 75% of patients have at least one risk factor, a percentage that rises to 87% among fatal cases. In contrast, and unlike the 2003 SARS outbreak, human-to-human transmission is limited, with data suggesting an R0 below 1 (the average number of people infected by a single case), which would limit the risk of a large-scale epidemic.