Mode of transmission
There is still uncertainty at the moment. People may be infected upon exposure to animals (such as camel), environment or other confirmed patients, (such as in a hospital setting).
Coronaviruses are typically spread like other respiratory infections such as influenza. Based on the current information, MERS-CoV could be spread from person-to-person through close contact. Since April 2014, many cases appeared to be secondary cases which might have been infected from a confirmed patient. These secondary cases were mainly healthcare workers who had taken care of patients suffering from MERS. The majority of them presented with no or mild symptoms and had been infected within healthcare settings.
Besides, recent studies support that camels serve as the primary source of MERS-CoV.