![\"France](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_virus-particles-illustration-6634147.jpg\")
France has confirmed its first cases of MERS in more than a decade(Image: Getty)<\/p>\nCases of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) have been confirmed in France for the first time in more than a decade.France has confirmed its first cases of MERS in more than a decade(Image: Getty)<\/p>\n
A deadly virus has been confirmed in Europe as the World Health Organisation (WHO) issue a new warning just six years on from the Covid-19 pandemic. France has confirmed its first cases of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in more than a decade.<\/a><\/p>\n The two imported infections, reported between December 2 and 3 by France’s International Health Regulations National Focal Point, involved travellers who had visited the Arabian Peninsula in November, reports the Express<\/a>. According to WHO: “All cases had been travellers exposed in the Arabian Peninsula and returning to France.”<\/p>\n These mark France’s first MERS cases <\/a>since 2013, bringing the country’s total to four laboratory-confirmed infections, including one death. Globally, the WHO reports: “Since the beginning of 2025 and as of December 21, 2025, a total of 19 cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), including four deaths have been reported to WHO globally.”<\/p>\n Of these, 17 occurred in Saudi Arabia across regions including Riyadh, Taif, Najran, Hail, and Hafr Al-Batin, with no epidemiological links identified between them. The arrival of the virus<\/a> in Europe and North America this month highlights the persistent risk of international travel-related spread.<\/p>\n MERS-CoV, a coronavirus<\/a> with a case fatality ratio of 37 percent, is far deadlier than SARS-CoV-2, though less transmissible between humans. Primarily spilling over from infected dromedary camels, it has caused hospital outbreaks, such as South Korea’s 2015 epidemic that killed 38. The WHO states: “These cases show that the virus continues to pose a threat in countries where it is circulating in dromedary camels, with regular spillover into the human population.”<\/p>\n In a Europe still reeling from Covid-19’s devastation<\/a> \u2013 which exposed flaws in surveillance, border controls, and healthcare systems \u2013 these importations revive haunting memories of rapid viral spread. The French patients, both men in their 70s, were monitored closely as authorities moved to contain any potential outbreak.<\/p>\n French authorities<\/a> responded promptly: “Contact tracing was initiated as soon as the first case was detected for the monitoring and surveillance of fellow travellers and co-exposed individuals, high-risk contacts, and hospital contacts.” This involved tracking the 34 members of the patients’ tour group. No secondary cases were identified by 19 December, and genomic sequencing confirmed the strain matches those circulating in the Arabian Peninsula.<\/p>\n The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control <\/a>(ECDC) assesses the risk of sustained transmission as very low, but the WHO warns: “Due to the similarity of symptoms with other respiratory diseases that are widely circulating, like influenza or COVID-19, detection and diagnosis of MERS cases may be delayed, especially in unaffected countries, and provide an opportunity for onward human-to-human transmission to go undetected.”<\/p>\n Emphasising lessons from Covid<\/a>, the WHO advises: “Strengthened surveillance with immediate notification of all suspected and confirmed cases,” alongside strict infection prevention in healthcare settings.<\/p>\n It advises<\/a> avoiding raw camel products and maintaining a safe distance from camels, stating: “People with these underlying medical conditions should avoid close contact with animals, particularly dromedaries, when visiting farms, markets, or barn areas where the virus may be circulating.”<\/p>\n With no vaccine or specific treatment <\/a>available, and global risk remaining “moderate”, this resilient virus’s arrival in Europe underscores the fragility of post-Covid recovery. As holiday travel surges, health officials are bolstering protocols to prevent another coronavirus crisis.<\/p>\n Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!<\/p>\n Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.<\/p>\n You’ll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.<\/p>\n No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.<\/p>\n![\"Modern](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_laboratory-6634215.jpg\")
Modern biocontainment facilities allow scientists to safely pathogens (Image: Express)<\/p>\n![\"Sick](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1_face-masks-2.jpg\")
The first cases have been reported in France(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n