Outbreak Control Policies for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS): The Present and the Future

Abstract

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is the latest coronavirus to have emerged in the human population. The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MoH) quickly came up with guidelines for the public and healthcare workers. This article looks at the policies recommended by International Organizations and the MoH. Like Ebola, the MERS-CoV is speculated to have come from bats, which harbour similar Coronaviruses. The article uses the principles of One Health to look at the outbreak and compares the MERS outbreak to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa. Besides highlighting key policy recommendations for the MERS-CoV outbreak, some recommendations have been brought about. The article intends to explain the MERS-CoV outbreak in a more holistic approach, taking in to consideration the One Health implications of the outbreak.