Estimating potential incidence of MERS-CoV associated with Hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, 2014
Author(s)
Lessler, J
Rodriguez-Barraquer, I
Cummings, T
Garske, T
Collins, C
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Between March and June 2014 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) had a large outbreak of MERS-CoV, renewing fears of a major outbreak during the Hajj this October. Using KSA Ministry of Health data, the MERS-CoV Scenario and Modeling Working Group forecast incidence under three scenarios. In the expected incidence scenario, we estimate 6.2 (95% Prediction Interval [PI]: 1–17) pilgrims will develop MERS-CoV symptoms during the Hajj, and 4.0 (95% PI: 0–12) foreign pilgrims will be infected but return home before developing symptoms. In the most pessimistic scenario, 47.6 (95% PI: 32–66) cases will develop symptoms during the Hajj, and 29.0 (95% PI: 17–43) will be infected but return home asymptomatic. Large numbers of MERS-CoV cases are unlikely to occur during the 2014 Hajj even under pessimistic assumptions, but careful monitoring is still needed to detect possible mass infection events and minimize introductions into other countries.
Date Issued
2014-11-24
Date Acceptance
2014-11-01
Citation
PLoS Currents, 2014, Edition 1
ISSN
2157-3999
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Journal / Book Title
PLoS Currents
Volume
Edition 1
Copyright Statement
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly credited (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
Sponsor
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Medical Research Council (MRC)
National Institute for Health Research
Grant Number
G0600719B
MR/K010174/1B
HPRU-2012-10080
Subjects
MERS-coronavirus
infectious disease
MERS-CoV Scenario Modeling Working Group
0603 Evolutionary Biology
Publication Status
Published