Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Pre-pandemic Among Adults Hospitalized With Congestive Heart Failure or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Older Adults.

BACKGROUND: Data are limited on influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) in the prevention of influenza-related hospitalizations in older adults and those with underlying high-risk comorbidities. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, test-negative, case-control study at 2 US hospitals from October 2018-March 2020 among adults aged ≥50 years hospitalized with acute respiratory illnesses (ARIs) and adults ≥18 years admitted with congestive heart failure (CHF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. Adults were eligible if they resided in 1 of 8 counties in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were tested using BioFire FilmArray (bioMérieux, Inc.) respiratory panel, and standard-of-care molecular results were included when available. Influenza vaccination history was determined from the Georgia vaccine registry and medical records. We used multivariable logistic regression to control for potential confounders and to determine 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Among 3090 eligible adults, 1562 (50.6%) were enrolled. Of the 1515 with influenza vaccination history available, 701 (46.2%) had received vaccination during that season. Influenza was identified in 37 (5.3%) vaccinated versus 78 (9.6%) unvaccinated participants. After adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, immunosuppression, month, and season, pooled VE for any influenza-related hospitalization in the eligible study population was 63.1% (95% CI, 43.8-75.8%). Adjusted VE against influenza-related hospitalization for ARI in adults ≥50 years was 55.9% (29.9-72.3%) and adjusted VE against influenza-related CHF/COPD exacerbation in adults ≥18 years was 80.3% (36.3-93.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Influenza vaccination was effective in preventing influenza-related hospitalizations in adults aged ≥50 years and those with CHF/COPD exacerbations during the 2018-2020 seasons.

Leveraging Serosurveillance and Postmortem Surveillance to Quantify the Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Africa.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a devastating impact on global health, the magnitude of which appears to differ intercontinentally: For example, reports suggest that 271 900 per million people have been infected in Europe versus 8800 per million people in Africa. While Africa is the second-largest continent by population, its reported COVID-19 cases comprise <3% of global cases. Although social and environmental explanations have been proposed to clarify this discrepancy, systematic underascertainment of infections may be equally responsible. METHODS: We sought to quantify magnitudes of underascertainment in COVID-19's cumulative incidence in Africa. Using serosurveillance and postmortem surveillance, we constructed multiplicative factors estimating ratios of true infections to reported cases in Africa since March 2020. RESULTS: Multiplicative factors derived from serology data (subset of 12 nations) suggested a range of COVID-19 reporting rates, from 1 in 2 infections reported in Cape Verde (July 2020) to 1 in 3795 infections reported in Malawi (June 2020). A similar set of multiplicative factors for all nations derived from postmortem data points toward the same conclusion: Reported COVID-19 cases are unrepresentative of true infections, suggesting that a key reason for low case burden in many African nations is significant underdetection and underreporting. CONCLUSIONS: While estimating the exact burden of COVID-19 is challenging, the multiplicative factors we present furnish incidence estimates reflecting likely-to-worst-case ranges of infection. Our results stress the need for expansive surveillance to allocate resources in areas experiencing discrepancies between reported cases, projected infections, and deaths.

Long-Term effects of COVID-19: a review of current perspectives and mechanistic insights.

Although SARS-CoV-2, responsible for COVID-19, is primarily a respiratory infection, a broad spectrum of cardiac, pulmonary, neurologic, and metabolic complications can occur. More than 50 long-term symptoms of COVID-19 have been described, and as many as 80% of patients may develop ≥1 long-term symptom. To summarize current perspectives of long-term sequelae of COVID-19, we conducted a PubMed search describing the long-term cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and neurologic effects post-SARS-CoV-2 infection and mechanistic insights and risk factors for the above-mentioned sequelae. Emerging risk factors of long-term sequelae include older age (≥65 years), female sex, Black or Asian race, Hispanic ethnicity, and presence of comorbidities. There is an urgent need to better understand ongoing effects of COVID-19. Prospective studies evaluating long-term effects of COVID-19 in all body systems and patient groups will facilitate appropriate management and assess burden of care. Clinicians should ensure patients are followed up and managed appropriately, especially those in at-risk groups. Healthcare systems worldwide need to develop approaches to follow-up and support patients recovering from COVID-19. Surveillance programs can enhance prevention and treatment efforts for those most vulnerable.

Estimated preventable COVID-19-associated deaths due to non-vaccination in the United States.

While some studies have previously estimated lives saved by COVID-19 vaccination, we estimate how many deaths could have been averted by vaccination in the US but were not because of a failure to vaccinate. We used a simple method based on a nationally representative dataset to estimate the preventable deaths among unvaccinated individuals in the US from May 30, 2021 to September 3, 2022 adjusted for the effects of age and time. We estimated that at least 232,000 deaths could have been prevented among unvaccinated adults during the 15 months had they been vaccinated with at least a primary series. While uncertainties exist regarding the exact number of preventable deaths and more granular data are needed on other factors causing differences in death rates between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups to inform these estimates, this method is a rapid assessment on vaccine-preventable deaths due to SARS-CoV-2 that has crucial public health implications. The same rapid method can be used for future public health emergencies.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Associated Hospitalization Rates among US Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although global reviews of infant respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) burden exist, none have summarized data from the United States or evaluated how RSV burden estimates are influenced by variations in study design. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of studies describing RSV-associated hospitalization rates among US infants and examined the impact of key study characteristics on these estimates. RESULTS: We reviewed 3328 articles through 14 August 2020 and identified 25 studies with 31 unique estimates of RSV-associated hospitalization rates. Among US infants <1 year of age, annual rates ranged from 8.4 to 40.8 per 1000 with a pooled rate of 19.4 (95% confidence interval [CI], 17.9-20.9). Study type influenced RSV-associated hospitalization rates (P = .003), with active surveillance studies having pooled rates (11.0; 95% CI, 9.8-12.2) that were half that of studies based on administrative claims (21.4; 19.5-23.3) or modeling approaches (23.2; 20.2-26.2). CONCLUSIONS: Applying our pooled rates to the 2020 US birth cohort suggests that 79 850 (95% CI, 73 680-86 020) RSV-associated infant hospitalizations occur each year. The full range of RSV-associated hospitalization rates identified in our review can better inform future evaluations of RSV prevention strategies. More research is needed to better understand differences in estimated RSV burden across study design.

Impact and effectiveness of mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations, and deaths following a nationwide vaccination campaign in Israel: an observational study using national surveillance data.

BACKGROUND: Following the emergency use authorisation of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 (international non-proprietary name tozinameran) in Israel, the Ministry of Health (MoH) launched a campaign to immunise the 6·5 million residents of Israel aged 16 years and older. We estimated the real-world effectiveness of two doses of BNT162b2 against a range of SARS-CoV-2 outcomes and to evaluate the nationwide public-health impact following the widespread introduction of the vaccine. METHODS: We used national surveillance data from the first 4 months of the nationwide vaccination campaign to ascertain incident cases of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections and outcomes, as well as vaccine uptake in residents of Israel aged 16 years and older. Vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 outcomes (asymptomatic infection, symptomatic infection, and COVID-19-related hospitalisation, severe or critical hospitalisation, and death) was calculated on the basis of incidence rates in fully vaccinated individuals (defined as those for whom 7 days had passed since receiving the second dose of vaccine) compared with rates in unvaccinated individuals (who had not received any doses of the vaccine), with use of a negative binomial regression model adjusted for age group (16-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75-84, and ≥85 years), sex, and calendar week. The proportion of spike gene target failures on PCR test among a nationwide convenience-sample of SARS-CoV-2-positive specimens was used to estimate the prevelance of the B.1.1.7 variant. FINDINGS: During the analysis period (Jan 24 to April 3, 2021), there were 232 268 SARS-CoV-2 infections, 7694 COVID-19 hospitalisations, 4481 severe or critical COVID-19 hospitalisations, and 1113 COVID-19 deaths in people aged 16 years or older. By April 3, 2021, 4 714 932 (72·1%) of 6 538 911 people aged 16 years and older were fully vaccinated with two doses of BNT162b2. Adjusted estimates of vaccine effectiveness at 7 days or longer after the second dose were 95·3% (95% CI 94·9-95·7; incidence rate 91·5 per 100 000 person-days in unvaccinated vs 3·1 per 100 000 person-days in fully vaccinated individuals) against SARS-CoV-2 infection, 91·5% (90·7-92·2; 40·9 vs 1·8 per 100 000 person-days) against asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, 97·0% (96·7-97·2; 32·5 vs 0·8 per 100 000 person-days) against symptomatic COVID-19, 97·2% (96·8-97·5; 4·6 vs 0·3 per 100 000 person-days) against COVID-19-related hospitalisation, 97·5% (97·1-97·8; 2·7 vs 0·2 per 100 000 person-days) against severe or critical COVID-19-related hospitalisation, and 96·7% (96·0-97·3; 0·6 vs 0·1 per 100 000 person-days) against COVID-19-related death. In all age groups, as vaccine coverage increased, the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 outcomes declined. 8006 of 8472 samples tested showed a spike gene target failure, giving an estimated prevalence of the B.1.1.7 variant of 94·5% among SARS-CoV-2 infections. INTERPRETATION: Two doses of BNT162b2 are highly effective across all age groups (≥16 years, including older adults aged ≥85 years) in preventing symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19-related hospitalisations, severe disease, and death, including those caused by the B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant. There were marked and sustained declines in SARS-CoV-2 incidence corresponding to increasing vaccine coverage. These findings suggest that COVID-19 vaccination can help to control the pandemic. FUNDING: None.

Evolution of invasive meningococcal disease epidemiology in Europe, 2008 to 2017.

BackgroundInvasive meningococcal disease (IMD) epidemiology has fluctuated over the past 25 years and varies among serogroups, age groups and geographical locations.AimThis study analysed the evolution of European IMD epidemiology from 2008 to 2017 to identify trends.MethodsReported number of IMD cases and associated incidence were extracted from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Surveillance Atlas for Infectious Diseases for individual European countries. Epidemiology and its evolution were analysed by serogroup and age group.ResultsOverall IMD incidence decreased by 34.4% between 2008 and 2017. Serogroup B remained predominant in 2017; despite a 56.1% decrease over the 10-year period, the rate of decrease has slowed in recent years and varies by age group. Serogroup C was the second most prevalent serogroup until 2016. Its incidence decreased among individuals aged 1-24 years, the main population targeted by MenC vaccination campaigns, but increases have occurred in other age groups. Incidences of serogroups W and Y were low but increased by > 500% and > 130% (to 0.10 and 0.07/100,000) respectively, from 2008 to 2017. Considering all serogroups, a marked modification of the evolution trends by age group has occurred, with increases in incidence mainly affecting older age groups.ConclusionAlthough the overall IMD incidence decreased in Europe between 2008 and 2017, increases were observed for serogroups W and Y, and in the older population when considering all serogroups. It may be necessary to adapt current vaccination strategies to reflect epidemiological changes and their likely future evolution.

Burden of Adults Hospitalized With Group B Streptococcal Infection.

BACKGROUND: The burden of noninvasive group B Streptococcus (GBS) infections in adults is unknown. We determined population-based rates of hospitalization where invasive or noninvasive GBS infections were identified among US adults in a defined catchment area. METHODS: We identified adults with clinical and laboratory-confirmed evidence of GBS infection from January 2014 through December 2016 from 6 hospitals in Louisville, Kentucky. Invasive disease was defined as GBS isolated from a normally sterile site. RESULTS: Among 1076 adults with GBS infection, the median age was 52 years, 51% were male, and 89% had ≥1 chronic medical condition. The most prevalent infection sites were skin and soft tissue (39%), urinary tract (23%), bone and joint (16%), and bloodstream (11%). Forty percent of infections were polymicrobial. The annual incidence of GBS-associated hospitalization was 73 per 100 000 adults and 68 and 100 per 100 000 for patients aged 18-64 and ≥ 65 years, respectively. For every invasive GBS infection, 3.7 noninvasive infections occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Our population-based study outlines the full burden of GBS-associated hospitalization in adults and found incidence rates comparable to those of pneumococcal disease, where vaccines are recommended. Noninvasive disease was 3-4 times more common than invasive disease, suggesting that the GBS burden among adults is considerably greater than previously recognized.

County-level Predictors of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Cases and Deaths in the United States: What Happened, and Where Do We Go from Here?

BACKGROUND: The United States has been heavily impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Understanding microlevel patterns in US rates of COVID-19 can inform specific prevention strategies. METHODS: Using a negative binomial mixed-effects regression model, we evaluated the associations between a broad set of US county-level sociodemographic, economic, and health status-related characteristics and cumulative rates of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths between 22 January 2020 and 31 August 2020. RESULTS: Rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths were higher in US counties that were more urban or densely populated or that had more crowded housing, air pollution, women, persons aged 20-49 years, racial/ethnic minorities, residential housing segregation, income inequality, uninsured persons, diabetics, or mobility outside the home during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this study provides results from the most comprehensive multivariable analysis of county-level predictors of rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths conducted to date. Our findings make clear that ensuring that COVID-19 preventive measures, including vaccines when available, reach vulnerable and minority communities and are distributed in a manner that meaningfully disrupts transmission (in addition to protecting those at highest risk of severe disease) will likely be critical to stem the pandemic.

Systematic literature review of the impact and effectiveness of monovalent meningococcal C conjugated vaccines when used in routine immunization programs.

BACKGROUND: Monovalent meningococcal C conjugate vaccine (MCCV) was introduced into the routine immunization program in many countries in Europe and worldwide following the emergence of meningococcal serogroup C (MenC) in the late 1990s. This systematic literature review summarizes the immediate and long-term impact and effectiveness of the different MCCV vaccination schedules and strategies employed. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search for peer-reviewed, scientific publications in the databases of MEDLINE (via PubMed), LILACS, and SCIELO. We included studies from countries where MCCV have been introduced in routine vaccination programs and studies providing the impact and effectiveness of MCCV published between 1st January 2001 and 31st October 2017. RESULTS: Forty studies were included in the review; 30 studies reporting impact and 17 reporting effectiveness covering 9 countries (UK, Spain, Italy, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands). Following MCCV introduction, significant and immediate reduction of MenC incidence was consistently observed in vaccine eligible ages in all countries with high vaccine uptake. The reduction in non-vaccine eligible ages (especially population > 65 years) through herd protection was generally observed 3-4 years following introduction. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) was mostly assessed through screening methods and ranged from 38 to 100%. The VE was generally highest during the first year after vaccination and waned over time. The VE was better maintained in countries employing catch-up campaigns in older children and adolescents, compared to routine infant only schedules. CONCLUSIONS: MCCV were highly effective, showing a substantial and sustained decrease in MenC invasive meningococcal disease. The epidemiology of meningococcal disease is in constant transition, and some vaccination programs now include adolescents and higher valent vaccines due to the recent increase in cases caused by serogroups not covered by MCCV. Continuous monitoring of meningococcal disease is essential to understand disease evolution in the setting of different vaccination programs.

Forecasting the 2014 West African Ebola Outbreak.

In 2014-2015, a large Ebola outbreak afflicted Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. We performed a systematic review of 26 manuscripts, published between 2014 and April 2015, that forecasted the West African Ebola outbreak while it was occurring, and we derived implications for how results could be interpreted by policymakers. Forecasted case counts varied widely. An important determinant of forecast accuracy for case counts was how far into the future predictions were made. Generally, forecasts for less than 2 months into the future tended to be more accurate than those made for more than 10 weeks into the future. The exceptions were parsimonious statistical models in which the decay of the rate of spread of the pathogen among susceptible individuals was dealt with explicitly. The most important lessons for policymakers regarding future outbreaks, when using similar modeling results, are: 1) uncertainty of forecasts will be greater in the beginning of the outbreak; 2) when data are limited, forecasts produced by models designed to inform specific decisions should be used complementarily for robust decision-making (e.g., 2 statistical models produced the most reliable case-counts forecasts for the studied Ebola outbreak but did not enable understanding of interventions' impact, whereas several compartmental models could estimate interventions' impact but required unavailable data); and 3) timely collection of essential data is necessary for optimal model use.

Effectiveness of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Against Hospitalization for Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Older US Adults: A Test-Negative Design.

Background: Following universal recommendation for use of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in US adults aged ≥65 years in September 2014, we conducted the first real-world evaluation of PCV13 vaccine effectiveness (VE) against hospitalized vaccine-type community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in this population. Methods: Using a test-negative design, we identified cases and controls from a population-based surveillance study of adults in Louisville, Kentucky, who were hospitalized with CAP. We analyzed a subset of CAP patients enrolled 1 April 2015 through 30 April 2016 who were aged ≥65 years and consented to have their pneumococcal vaccination history confirmed by health insurance records. Cases were defined as hospitalized CAP patients with PCV13 serotypes identified via culture or serotype-specific urinary antigen detection assay. Remaining CAP patients served as test-negative controls. Results: Of 2034 CAP hospitalizations, we identified PCV13 serotypes in 68 (3.3%) participants (ie, cases), of whom 6 of 68 (8.8%) had a positive blood culture. Cases were less likely to be immunocompromised (29.4% vs 46.4%, P = .02) and overweight or obese (41.2% vs 58.6%, P = .01) compared to controls, but were otherwise similar. Cases were less likely to have received PCV13 than controls (3/68 [4.4%] vs 285/1966 [14.5%]; unadjusted VE, 72.8% [95% confidence interval, 12.8%-91.5%]). No confounding was observed during adjustment for patient characteristics, including immunocompromised status, body mass index, and history of influenza and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination (adjusted VE range, 71.1%-73.3%). Conclusions: Our study is the first to demonstrate real-world effectiveness of PCV13 against vaccine-type CAP in adults aged ≥65 years following introduction into a national immunization program.

2014 MERS-CoV outbreak in Jeddah--a link to health care facilities.

BACKGROUND: A marked increase in the number of cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection occurred in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in early 2014. We evaluated patients with MERS-CoV infection in Jeddah to explore reasons for this increase and to assess the epidemiologic and clinical features of this disease. METHODS: We identified all cases of laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV infection in Jeddah that were reported to the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health from January 1 through May 16, 2014. We conducted telephone interviews with symptomatic patients who were not health care personnel, and we reviewed hospital records. We identified patients who were reported as being asymptomatic and interviewed them regarding a history of symptoms in the month before testing. Descriptive analyses were performed. RESULTS: Of 255 patients with laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV infection, 93 died (case fatality rate, 36.5%). The median age of all patients was 45 years (interquartile range, 30 to 59), and 174 patients (68.2%) were male. A total of 64 patients (25.1%) were reported to be asymptomatic. Of the 191 symptomatic patients, 40 (20.9%) were health care personnel. Among the 151 symptomatic patients who were not health care personnel, 112 (74.2%) had data that could be assessed, and 109 (97.3%) of these patients had had contact with a health care facility, a person with a confirmed case of MERS-CoV infection, or someone with severe respiratory illness in the 14 days before the onset of illness. The remaining 3 patients (2.7%) reported no such contacts. Of the 64 patients who had been reported as asymptomatic, 33 (52%) were interviewed, and 26 of these 33 (79%) reported at least one symptom that was consistent with a viral respiratory illness. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients in the Jeddah MERS-CoV outbreak had contact with a health care facility, other patients, or both. This highlights the role of health care-associated transmission. (Supported by the Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia, and by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.).

Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori among Alaskans: Factors associated with infection and comparison of urea breath test and anti-Helicobacter pylori IgG antibodies.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common human infections in the world, and studies in Alaska Native people, as well as other Indigenous peoples, have shown a high prevalence of this gastric infection. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection by urea breath test (UBT) and anti- H. pylori IgG among Alaskans living in four regions of the state and to identify factors associated with infection. METHODS: A convenience sample of persons > 6 months old living in five rural and one urban Alaskan community were recruited from 1996 to 1997. Participants were asked about factors possibly associated with infection. Sera were collected and tested for anti- H. pylori IgG antibodies; a UBT was administered to participants > 5 years old. RESULTS: We recruited 710 people of whom 571 (80%) were Alaska Native and 467 (66%) were from rural communities. Rural residents were more likely to be Alaska Native compared with urban residents (P < .001). Of the 710 people, 699 (98%) had a serum sample analyzed, and 634 (97%) persons > 5 years old had a UBT performed. H. pylori prevalence was 69% by UBT and 68% by anti- H. pylori IgG. Among those with a result for both tests, there was 94% concordance. Factors associated with H. pylori positivity were Alaska Native racial status, age ≥ 20 years, rural region of residence, living in a crowded home, and drinking water that was not piped or delivered. CONCLUSIONS: Helicobacter pylori prevalence is high in Alaska, especially in Alaska Native persons and rural residents. Concordance between UBT and serology was also high in this group. Two socioeconomic factors, crowding and drinking water that was not piped or delivered, were found to be associated with H. pylori positivity.

Clinicopathologic, Immunohistochemical, and Ultrastructural Findings of a Fatal Case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection in the United Arab Emirates, April 2014.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection causes an acute respiratory illness and is associated with a high case fatality rate; however, the pathogenesis of severe and fatal MERS-CoV infection is unknown. We describe the histopathologic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural findings from the first autopsy performed on a fatal case of MERS-CoV in the world, which was related to a hospital outbreak in the United Arab Emirates in April 2014. The main histopathologic finding in the lungs was diffuse alveolar damage. Evidence of chronic disease, including severe peripheral vascular disease, patchy cardiac fibrosis, and hepatic steatosis, was noted in the other organs. Double staining immunoassays that used anti-MERS-CoV antibodies paired with immunohistochemistry for cytokeratin and surfactant identified pneumocytes and epithelial syncytial cells as important targets of MERS-CoV antigen; double immunostaining with dipeptidyl peptidase 4 showed colocalization in scattered pneumocytes and syncytial cells. No evidence of extrapulmonary MERS-CoV antigens were detected, including the kidney. These results provide critical insights into the pathogenesis of MERS-CoV in humans.

Exportations of Symptomatic Cases of MERS-CoV Infection to Countries outside the Middle East.

In 2012, an outbreak of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), was detected in the Arabian Peninsula. Modeling can produce estimates of the expected annual number of symptomatic cases of MERS-CoV infection exported and the likelihood of exportation from source countries in the Middle East to countries outside the region.

Estimation of Severe Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Cases in the Middle East, 2012-2016.

Using data from travelers to 4 countries in the Middle East, we estimated 3,250 (95% CI 1,300-6,600) severe cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome occurred in this region during September 2012-January 2016. This number is 2.3-fold higher than the number of laboratory-confirmed cases recorded in these countries.

Outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome at Tertiary Care Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2014.

During March-May 2014, a Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak occurred in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that included many persons who worked or received medical treatment at King Fahd General Hospital. We investigated 78 persons who had laboratory-confirmed MERS during March 2-May 10 and documented contact at this hospital. The 78 persons with MERS comprised 53 patients, 16 healthcare workers, and 9 visitors. Among the 53 patients, the most probable sites of acquisition were the emergency department (22 patients), inpatient areas (17), dialysis unit (11), and outpatient areas (3). Infection control deficiencies included limited separation of suspected MERS patients, patient crowding, and inconsistent use of infection control precautions; aggressive improvements in these deficiencies preceded a decline in cases. MERS coronavirus transmission probably was multifocal, occurring in multiple hospital settings. Continued vigilance and strict application of infection control precautions are necessary to prevent future MERS outbreaks.