[Comment] Triumphs, trials, and tribulations of the global response to MERS coronavirus

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22 months after its discovery, and despite extensive investigation and research, the source and origin of the Middle East Respiratory (MERS) coronavirus remain unknown. As of April 26, 2014, 261 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS coronavirus infection have been reported, including 93 deaths. Although sustained human-to-human transmission has not been reported, a global concern remains that the virus could become more contagious and deadly. An overabundance of caution is certainly prudent, but with the latest discovery—that the virus was documented in dromedary camels as long ago as 1992—interpretation of the epidemiology has become more difficult.