First U.S. Case of MERS Virus Is Found in Indiana Man Who Visited Mideast

New York Times ^ | MAY 2, 2014 | DONALD G. McNEIL

[nickcarraway]

A virus that has killed more than 100 people in the Middle East has been found in the United States for the first time, in an Indiana health care worker who recently returned from Saudi Arabia, federal health officials said on Friday.

The man, whose name, age and exact occupation have not been released, is in stable condition in an Indiana hospital, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of respiratory diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He is in isolation and receiving oxygen.

A single American case of the virus — called MERS, for Middle East respiratory syndrome — is “a very low risk,” Dr. Schuchat said. The C.D.C. is not recommending that anyone change travel plans to the Middle East.

But a team from the agency will travel to Indiana to assist in treatment and to retrace the patient’s contacts. He flew to Chicago from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, via London on April 24, then took a bus to Indiana. He fell ill on April 27 and was hospitalized the next day.

The typical incubation period for MERS is five days, and the patient is not known to have infected anyone else. Airline passenger lists will be used to contact everyone who sat near him.

SNIP

MERS is a coronavirus similar to SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, which killed hundreds of people, mainly in China, in 2002 and 2003.

The newer virus was first reported in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. Since then, about 400 cases have been reported to the World Health Organization; about a third have been fatal. (The numbers are inexact because of delays in laboratory confirmations.)

SNIP

[jonrick46]

That camel meat will do it every time.

[RitchieAprile]

drink only bottled water. dysentery is an unpleasant experience.

[berdie]

I wish I knew how to post the little “Oh noz” stick figures.

[1_Rain_Drop]

"The man, whose name, age and exact occupation have not been released"

On the radio news, they say that he was a health care worker. It must be a vague occupation.

They should release a photo of him so the people on the bus would know if they rode with him or not.

[Irenic]

Here, go to this link and on the right you will see a list—email IM, HTML, IMG, Direct—copy the html code and paste.

http://media.photobucket.com/user/bobchan2006/media/thonoes.gif.html?filters[term]=ohnoes&filters[primary]=images&sort=1&o=37

[Cronos]

[berdie]

Thank you!!!

[Irenic]

You’re welcome :)

[berdie]

Thanks for posting until I could!!

[txrefugee]

Another reason not to fly. We can’t keep the contagions from coming into the country, it seems, and the worst place you can be is in a plane from London to NYC.

[SgtHooper]

The perfect “homicide” camel jockey. Infect and fly into the US.