A man has tested positive for the Mers virus in the UAE, the World Health Organisation said on Monday.
The global health body said the man, 28, an expatriate living in Al Ain, was admitted to hospital on June 8.
It said 108 contacts were identified and monitored for 14 days from the last date of exposure to the patient.
No further cases have been detected.
Figures released last year showed there were 19 cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in 2021, 17 of them in Saudi Arabia and two in the UAE.
Eight of the cases were fatal.
Numbers have fallen dramatically since their peak in 2015, when there were 492 laboratory-confirmed cases of the disease.
The UAE confirmed its first Mers case in July 2013. There have been 94 further cases since, including the latest infection, with 12 deaths.
What is Mers?
Mers-CoV, a coronavirus first identified in 2012, is much more deadly to infected people than Sars-CoV2 – the strain of coronavirus that causes Covid-19 – but is much less easily transmitted.
Since the disease was detected a decade ago, there have been 2,605 confirmed cases, about 84 per cent of which were in Saudi Arabia. The death toll stands at 936.
Camels continue to act as a “reservoir” for the disease and to transmit the virus to people, although some cases are still recorded in humans who have not had contact with the animals.
Person-to-person spread happens rarely and when it does occur, transmission is usually in a healthcare setting or between people in the same household.
A large proportion of Mers cases are in people who work with camels and have picked up the virus from an infected animal.
The WHO said no vaccine or specific treatment is available, although several inoculations and treatments to tackle the virus are in development.
The patient had visited a private healthcare centre several times between June 3 and 7, complaining of vomiting, and pain when passing urine, the WHO said.
"On 8 June, the case presented to a government hospital with vomiting, and gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhoea, and was given an initial diagnosis of acute pancreatitis, acute kidney injury, and sepsis," the WHO said.
The man was placed in an intensive care unit in a critical condition on June 13.
A swab was collected on June 21, which returned a positive reading for the virus two days later.
"The case has no known co-morbidities, no history of contact with Mers-CoV human cases, and no recent travel outside the UAE," the WHO said.
"The patient has no known history of direct contact with animals including dromedary camels, nor consumption of their raw products."
Public health response
The 108 contacts screened for Mers were all healthcare workers and returned negative results.
Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre has increased monitoring for the virus to try to identify potential cases and has sought to raise awareness by hosting workshops and issuing notices to relevant bodies.
The WHO underlined the need for health authorities to be vilgilant and called for strong surveillance of possible cases to be carried out by all of its members.
"Given that this latest case presents with severe disease but has no comorbidities and no exposure history to camels, camel raw products or Mers-CoV human cases, it will be important to sequence the virus and conduct genomic analysis to screen for any unusual patterns," the WHO said.
It advised anyone visiting farms, markets, barns or other places where there are camels to follow general hygiene measures.
They include: regular hand washing after touching animals; avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with hands; and avoiding contact with sick animals.
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
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8. Pillar 2 implementation
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9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
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10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
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Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
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“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
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