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The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning about a "respiratory syndrome coronavirus" after a surge in cases.
As of December 21, 19 cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) were reported to the international health agency, including 4 deaths.
17 of these cases originated in Saudi Arabia and two were from France. This comes as adenovirus cases continue to rise across the globe and, although most cases are mild, doctors are urging both adults and children to be aware of the signs and symptoms.
In an update, the WHO said: "between 4 June and 21 December 2025, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Saudi Arabia reported a total of seven cases of MERS-CoV infection, including two deaths."
While these cases "do not change the overall risk assessment, which remains moderate both globally and regionally," they indicate that the virus is still a threat in some countries.
The virus is known to infect dromedary camels, with regular spread to the human population. This comes at a time when experts have discovered a new coronavirus spread by bats in Brazil, however, the effect of the virus on humans remains a mystery.
Symptoms of MERS include fever, cough, shortness of breath, diarrhea and vomiting, and the virus can be fatal in severe cases. There is currently no vaccine for the MERS virus.
The new coronavirus was discovered by researchers from São Paulo and Ceará working together with colleagues from the University of Hong Kong (HKU).
This new coronavirus has similarities to the deadly Mers virus, which was first discovered in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. Since the virus was discovered, it has led to over 850 deaths and there have been cases reported in more than two dozen countries.
The author of a recent study on the virus, PhD candidate Bruna Stefanie, noted: “We are not yet sure whether it can infect humans, but we discovered parts of the virus protein [which binds to mammalian cells to initiate an infection] suggesting possible interaction with the receptor used by Mers-CoV.”
The study, published in the Journal of Medical Virology (JMV), examined a total of 423 bats from 16 different bat species.
The bats were checked with oral and rectal swabs and one insectivorous bat was found to be infected with the new coronavirus, which has experts concerned.
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