First U.S. case of deadly MERS virus confirmed - CDC

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First U.S. case of deadly MERS virus confirmed - CDC​

May 2 (Reuters) - The first U.S. case of Middle East Respiratory Virus (MERS), a viral respiratory illness, has been confirmed within U.S. borders, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday

A SARS-like virus, MERS was first detected in Saudia Arabia in 2012.

Dr Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on a conference call the first U.S. case of the virus was "of great concern because of its virulence," noting that it has proven fatal in about a third of the cases of infection.

She said the case represents "a very low risk to the broader general public," but MERS has been shown to spread to healthcare workers and there are no known treatments for the virus.

Schuchat said on the call the patient was a healthcare provider who had been working in Saudi Arabia.

The patient, later identified by the CDC as a male, traveled by airplane on April 24 from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to London and then to Chicago, where he then took a bus to an undisclosed city in Indiana.

On April 27, he experienced respiratory symptoms, including fever, cough and shortness of breath, and was admitted to a hospital the following day. Because of his travel history, Indiana health officials tested him for MERS, and sent the samples to the CDC, which confirmed the presence of the virus on Friday.​

Schuchat said the patient was now in stable condition and there are no other suspected cases of MERS at the current time.

The CDC declined to identify the patient by name or say where he was being treated. It also declined to say on which airlines or bus line the patient traveled. Schuchat said the CDC was working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to contact individuals who may have been exposed to the patient during his travels.

Although the vast majority of MERS cases have been in Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East, the discovery of sporadic cases in Britain, Greece, France, Italy, Malaysia and elsewhere have raised concerns about the potential global spread of the disease by infected airline passengers.

Scientists are not yet sure how the MERS virus is transmitted to people, but it has been found in bats and camels, and many experts say camels are the most likely animal reservoir from which humans become infected.

The virus is similar to the one that caused Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which emerged in China in 2002-2003 and killed some 800 people. (Reporting by Michele Gershberg and Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by James Dalgleish, Chizu Nomiyama and Tom Brown)
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/02/usa-health-mers-idUSL2N0NO1FA20140502

 

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Here are five things to know about MERS:

It's a coronavirus

MERS is in the same family of viruses as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome -- coronavirus) as well as the common cold. However, unlike SARS, which sickened more than 8,000 people in 2003 and killed 773 worldwide, MERS does not spread easily between humans -- at least not yet.

The virus acts like a cold and attacks the respiratory system, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said. But symptoms, which include fever and a cough, are severe and can lead to pneumonia and kidney failure. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea have also been seen, according to the WHO.

The average age of MERS victims is 51, officials say, although the ages range from 2 to 94.​

Researchers don't know how MERS spreads

Although all MERS cases have been linked to six countries on the Arabian Peninsula, limited human-to-human transmission has been seen among people in close contact with patients, including health care workers.

Although such transmission appears to be limited, health officials are concerned about MERS because of its virulence -- it can be fatal in up to one-third of cases, Dr. Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon general for the U.S. Public Health Service and director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said Friday.

"The virus has not shown to spread in a sustained way in communities," the CDC says on its website.

However, the WHO and CDC have not issued any travel warnings related to MERS.

And "you are not considered to be at risk for MERS-CoV infection if you have not had close contact, such as caring for or living with someone who is being evaluated for MERS-CoV infection," according to the CDC website.​

Camels appear to be a link in the MERS chain

Camels may be one clue. In a paper published earlier this week, researchers said they had isolated the live MERS virus from two single-humped camels, known as dromedaries. And in February, scientists published a finding that nearly three-quarters of camels in Saudi Arabia tested positive for past MERS exposure.

MERS was also found in a bat in Saudi Arabia, the CDC says.

"The way humans become infected from an animal and/or environmental source is still under investigation," the WHO said last month.​

It may have a seasonal pattern

Officials have noted a surge in MERS cases this spring, and a similar increase was also seen last spring, Schuchat said on Friday. But they don't know whether the factors that lead to MERS may have a seasonal pattern, or whether the virus changes to become more easily transmissible.​

There are no treatments and no vaccine

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As of now, doctors can treat symptoms of MERS, such as fever or breathing difficulties, Schuchat said. However, there is no vaccine and no specific medicine, such as an antiviral drug, that targets MERS.​

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http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/02/health/mers-5-things/