The new coronavirus is spreading rapidly in the Middle East, with cases reported in at least nine countries in the region - six of which reported their first infections last week. Officially known as COVID-19, the disease has spread to 34 countries and has killed more than 2,600 people worldwide, the vast majority in China, where the virus first emerged in late December. Outside of China, Iran has recorded the highest number of deaths, with at least 15 people dying from the virus within a week - a development the WHO has called "deeply concerned." The virus, for which there is no vaccine yet, causes mild illness in four out of five infected people. However, it can be fatal for the elderly and people with medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.
As governments in the Middle East and North Africa struggle to contain the spread of the infection, experts are raising concerns about the region's ability to deal with the outbreak due to wars, conflicts and weak health systems in some countries.
Which countries have confirmed cases in MENA?
The United Arab Emirates was the first country in the Middle East to report a case of COVID-19. On January 29, the UAE Ministry of Health reported that four members of a Chinese family traveling from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicenter of the outbreak, were infected. Nine more cases have been confirmed. Egypt reported its first case - a foreigner who did not have serious symptoms - on February 14, according to Cairo's health ministry. On February 19, Iran said two elderly people had died in the city of Qom after testing positive for the virus. Since then, authorities have reported 95 infections and 15 deaths. Lebanon confirmed its first case on February 21, a 45-year-old Lebanese woman who returned from Iran. Israel also reported its first case on the same day. An Israeli woman who was evacuated from a cruise ship that was quarantined off the coast of Japan tested positive after arriving home. On Feb. 24, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, and Oman reported infections - all patients were in Iran before infection.
Which countries are most at risk and why?
Five of the nine countries in the Middle East that reported infections reported that their first cases were associated with travelers from Iran. These countries are Lebanon, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq and Oman. Meanwhile, the UAE also reported that the latest cases in the country were an Iranian tourist and his wife. In this context, countries at immediate risk are countries with close ties to Iran. In the Middle East, countries bordering Iran, such as Turkey, Iraq, and countries that have large Shiite communities, are at the highest risk of infection. In Iran, the highest number of infections have been reported in Qom, a city that houses important Shiite shrines and seminaries. The city attracts millions of pilgrims from countries with significant Shiite populations, including Lebanon, Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen and Kuwait.
Abubakar, an epidemiologist, said the second class of countries most at risk were those whose health systems had been severely weakened by conflict, such as Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya. “These countries with complex emergencies have weak health systems, weak infrastructure and weak response capabilities compared to the Gulf countries,” he said. "In the case of Syria, Yemen, Libya... They have some lab capacity, but if the coronavirus is introduced into these countries, people should probably be worried."
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