What is Mers-Cov?

MERS-CoV is a novel coronavirus first identified in Septemeber 2012 by an Egyptian

Virologist, who isolated the previously unknown coronavirus from the lungs of a 60 year old
patient with pneumonia and renal failure.
To date, the WHO has reported a total of 77 labs-confirmed cases of infection with
MERS-CoV, ancluding 40 deaths.

Corona viruses are named for the crown-like spikes on their surface.
They are common viruses that most people get in their lifetime.
These viruses usually caused mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illness.
MERS-CoV is different from any other coronavirus previously found in people.
It is also different from the corona virus that caused SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome) in 2003.