Burden of acute respiratory disease of epidemic and pandemic potential in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region: a literature review

There are gaps in the knowledge about the burden of severe respiratory disease in the Eastern Mediterranean Region [EMR]. This literature review was therefore conducted to describe the burden of epidemic- and pandemic-prone acute respiratory infections [ARI] in the Region which may help in the development of evidence-based disease prevention and control policies. Relevant published and unpublished reports were identified from searches of various databases; 83 documents fulfilled the search criteria. The infections identified included: ARI, avian influenza A[H5N1], influenza A[H1N1]pdm09 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus [MERS-CoV] infection. Pneumonia and ARIs were leading causes of disease and death in the Region. Influenza A[H1N1] was an important cause of morbidity during the 2009 pandemic. This review provides a descriptive summary of the burden of acute respiratory diseases in the Region, but there still remains a lack of necessary data

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus: current knowledge and future considerations

A literature review of publically available information was undertaken to summarize current understanding and gaps in knowledge about Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus [MERS-CoV], including its origin, transmission, effective control measures and management. Major databases were searched and relevant published papers and reports during 2012-2015 were reviewed. Of the 2520 publications initially retrieved, 164 were deemed relevant. The collected results suggest that much remains to be discovered about MERS-CoV. Improved surveillance, epidemiological research and development of new therapies and vaccines are important, and the momentum of recent gains in terms of better understanding of disease patterns should be maintained to enable the global community to answer the remaining questions about this disease