A person who traveled from Saudi Arabia to Orlando, Florida, has become the second patient in the United States reported to be sick with a relatively new and deadly virus known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today (May 12).
The patient, a health care worker who lives and works in Saudi Arabia, flew from Jeddah to London on May 1, the CDC said. From there, the patient flew to Boston and then to Atlanta, and finally to Orlando, where the patient was admitted to the emergency department on May 9.The patient began feeling unwell on the initial flight to London, and later experienced symptoms during travel, including fever, chills and a slight cough, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon general of the U.S. and director of the CDC's National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases. [5 Most Likely Real-Life Contagions]...........The CDC does not recommend that anyone change their travel plans at this time, Schuchat said. General recommendations for preventing respiratory infections include washing hands often, avoiding close contact with people who are sick, and avoiding touching the eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, Schuchat said.
People who develop fever and cough or shortness of breath within two weeks of traveling to countries in or near the Arabian Peninsula should see their doctor, the CDC says.
8 Things You Should Know About MERS
s MERS the same as SARS?
No. Both MERS and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)belong to the same family of viruses, called coronaviruses, but the two viruses are not the same.
Unlike SARS, which tended to affect younger and healthier people, many people infected with MERS have had underlying chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart or kidney disease.
Where does MERS come from?
Researchers don't know for sure. The MERS coronavirus has been found in camels in Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, according to the World Health Organization. But researchers can't say for sure if people caught the disease from camels. For example, it could be that another animal infects both humans and camels. The MERS virus has also been found in bats.
Has MERS come to the United States?
Yes, there have been two confirmed cases of MERS infection in the United States. Both cases were in people who caught the virus abroad and traveled to the United States.
The first case was in a person who traveled from Saudi Arabia to Chicago in late April, and took a bus to Indiana. The patient has fully recovered, and none of the patient's close contacts have signs of MERS.
The second case was in a health care worker who left from Saudi Arabia to travel to Orlando on May 1, and has since been hospitalized. Two health care workers who had contact with the second patient have since become ill, and health officials are investigating whether these people may have caught MERS, according to NBC news.
What risks do these two cases pose to the U.S. public? Can you get MERS from public transportation?
Health officials say the risk of MERS to the general U.S. public from the two MERS cases is extremely low. Transmission of MERS appears to require close contact, and most cases of human-to-human transmission have occurred in people who cared for those who were sick.
In both known U.S. cases, the CDC contacted people who were on the same flight as the patient, but an agency spokesperson said this was out of an "abundance of caution."
Has there been an increase in MERS cases lately?
Yes. Since late March, there have been 330 new cases of MERS worldwide, most in Saudi Arabia. Prior to that, there were fewer than 200 cases over the 1.5-year period between September 2012 and February 2014.
What's the reason for the increase? Is the virus mutating?
The reason for the recent increase in MERS cases is not fully understood. A number of the new cases occurred during outbreaks in hospitals, but there has also been a rise in "sporadic" cases, in which patients did not have contact with anyone else who had MERS, according to WHO.
Some of the increase may have been a result of better monitoring efforts, according to Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, meaning health officials are detecting more cases. Health officials have sequenced the genome of the virus, and so far, it does not appear to be mutating, Friedensaid, speaking at a news conference Monday.
How long does it take to develop symptoms after you've been exposed to the virus?
The time between someone's exposure to the virus and when he or she becomes sick is usually about five days, and 14 days at the most, according to the CDC.
People who develop fever and cough or shortness of breath within two weeks of traveling to countries in or near the Arabian Peninsula should see their doctor, and tell them about their travel history, the CDC says.
Follow Rachael Rettner @RachaelRettner. Follow Live Science@livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
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