Editorial: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus and the Upcoming Hajj

The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a novel virus which was first isolated in April 2012 from a patient with severe acute respiratory infection in Jordan. As of September 7, 2013, there have been 114 cases of laboratory-confirmed infection with MERS-CoV in the Middle East (predominantly Saudi Arabia) and Europe, including 54 deaths. All reported cases outside of the Middle East have occurred in recent travelers to the Middle East or their close contacts, and the majority of fatalities have occurred in individuals with underlying medical conditions.