Human cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have declined in recent years, but continued surveillance and research is needed to understand this trend and mitigate future zoonotic threats.
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Acknowledgements
We acknowledge scientists, public health professionals and ministries of health across the world for sharing of data on MERS-CoV. The contributions of the NIH author (V.J.M.) are considered works of the US government. The findings and conclusions presented in this Comment are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their respective employers.
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Subissi, L., Otieno, J.R., Shah, A.A.M. et al. Human MERS-CoV cases are falling but pose an ongoing pandemic threat. Nat. Health (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44360-026-00098-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44360-026-00098-x