France Confirms Two MERS Cases Among Tour Group Members

French authorities have isolated two individuals infected with the virus responsible for Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), who were part of a tour group visiting the region, the health ministry reported.

MERS is a more lethal but less contagious form of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that spread from China in the early 2000s.

The MERS coronavirus is believed to have originated in bats, though humans are typically infected through contact with camels.

The two patients, currently in a stable condition in a French hospital, had been on “a joint trip to the Arabian Peninsula,” according to a statement released by the ministry on Wednesday evening.

The ministry confirmed that “management measures have been put in place to limit the risk of transmission of the virus” and that no secondary cases have been detected. Other members of the tour group are also under observation.

Measures implemented include “contact tracing, barrier gestures, screening, isolation and procedures to follow in case of the appearance of symptoms, even moderate ones,” the ministry added.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, MERS has caused 958 deaths out of 2,640 reported cases between 2012 and November this year, mainly in Saudi Arabia.

Symptoms of MERS resemble those of Covid-19, including fever, coughing and difficulty breathing.

The ministry noted that human-to-human transmission is “rare” but can occur through direct or indirect contact, respiratory droplets and occasionally via the air. France previously reported two cases in 2013.

Khaborwala/SS