The dangerous Middle Eastern coronavirus has taken a number of lives, and the virus is starting to get sneaky.
The World Health Organization (WHO) began crucial talks on the dangers of undetected Middle Eastern coronavirus (MERS) cases, Reuters reported.
The United Nations agency announced the assembly of an emergency committee in response to the virus that has already claimed 45 lives.
The virus has been found in nine countries, 65 of the 80 cases were in Saudi Arabia.
The committee will determine if the illness poses a "public health emergency of international concern."
"Our expectation is that there will not be a decision today," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told Reuters.
The coronavirus has been ravaging Saudi Arabia since 2012; Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have reported lab confirmed cases as well. People from Tunisia, Britain, France, Italy, and Germany have also come down with the virus after visiting the Middle East.
The symptoms of MERS include "coughing, fever and pneumonia," but can also show no signs at all.
The past eight known cases were not detected, and showed up in female health workers and children under the age of 15.
"The recent mild and asymptomatic cases raise concerns about the possibility of large numbers of milder cases going undetected," the WHO said in a statement, according to Reuters.
"While it is clear that human-to-human transmission does occur, it is not clear whether transmission is sustained in the community," it said.
WHO has recommended having preventative plans for large gatherings of people in infected countries. In October, millions of people plan on traveling to Mecca for the haj pilgrimage.
The virus kills more than half of the patients it infects.
"The overall number of cases is limited, but the virus causes death in about 60% of patients. So far, about 75% of the cases in Saudi Arabia have been in men and most have occurred in people with one or more major chronic conditions," WHO said in a June news release.
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