In this issue of CMI, Memish et al. show that circulation of the MERS coronavirus in Saudi Arabia is much lower than it was feared, announced, or predicted. One year after the discovery of this novel coronavirus, the Saudi Arabian Virology reference laboratory has tested 5,065 persons for MERS-CoV direct detection using WHO recommended real-time RT-PCR tests (Corman et al 2012a, Corman et al 2012b). Interestingly, no significant rise in detection rates could be observed along one year. Moreover, mass gathering people in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the Hajj pilgrimage in 2012 and 2013 was associated neither with an increased number of cases, nor with reported clusters of cases (Rashid et al 2013) suggesting poor or moderate inter-human transmission. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.