Key facts
- Since the previous update on 3 November 2025, and as of 10 December 2025, two new imported MERS cases have been reported in France.
- Since the beginning of 2025, and as of 10 December 2025, 14 MERS cases, including three fatalities, have been reported with date of onset in 2025. From these, 12 cases, including three fatalities have been reported in Saudi Arabia, and two imported cases have been reported in France.
- The probability of sustained human-to-human transmission among the general population in Europe remains very low, and the impact of the disease in the general population is also considered to be low. The current MERS-CoV situation poses a low risk to the EU/EEA.
Overview
Update: Since the previous update on 3 November 2025, and as of 10 December 2025, two new imported MERS cases have been reported in France. The patients were part of the same travel group who visited the Arabian Peninsula. No secondary cases have been detected so far. The previous MERS cases in the EU were reported in 2014.
Summary: Since the beginning of 2025, and as of 10 December 2025, 14 MERS cases, including three fatalities, have been reported with date of onset in 2025. From these, 12 cases, including three fatalities have been reported in Saudi Arabia, and two imported cases have been reported in France.
Since April 2012, and as of 10 December 2025, a total of 2 642 cases of MERS, including 958 deaths, have been reported by health authorities worldwide.
Sources: ECDC MERS-CoV page | WHO MERS-CoV | ECDC factsheet for professionals | Qatar MoPH Case #1 | Qatar MoPH Case #2 | FAO MERS-CoV situation update | WHO DON Oman | WHO DON Saudi Arabia | WHO DON UAE | WHO DON Saudi Arabia 1 | WHO IHR | WHO EMRO MERS Situation report | WHO DON Saudi Arabia 2 | WHO DON Saudi Arabia 3 | WHO DON Saudi Arabia 4 | WHO DON Saudi Arabia 5 | MERS-CoV Dashboard | French Ministry of Health
ECDC assessment
Human cases of MERS continue to be reported in the Arabian Peninsula. However, the number of new cases detected and reported through surveillance has dropped to the lowest level since 2014. The probability of sustained human-to-human transmission among the general population in Europe remains very low and the impact of the disease in the general population is considered low. The current MERS-CoV situation poses a low risk to the EU/EEA, as stated in the Rapid Risk Assessment published by ECDC on 29 August 2018, which also provides details on the last person reported with the disease in Europe.
ECDC published a technical report, 'Health emergency preparedness for imported cases of high-consequence infectious diseases', in October 2019 that is still useful for EU Member States wishing to assess their level of preparedness for a disease such as MERS. ECDC also published 'Risk assessment guidelines for infectious diseases transmitted on aircraft (RAGIDA) – Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)' on 22 January 2020.
