WHO events addressing public health priorities: MERS-CoV: new initiatives in research and scaling up infection prevention and control measures in healthcare settings

Approaches to dealing with the threat of MERS-CoV: The novel coronavirus now known as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is responsible for a respiratory disease that so far killed over 300 people since the virus emerged between April and June 2012. Since that time, sporadic cases, small clusters and large outbreaks have been reported in several countries. Concerns about the gaps in knowledge about MERS-CoV and how it is transmitted have prompted several new initiatives in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), involving WHO and other international health partners, to improve research, infection control and training.