Hundreds of cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, MERS, have been reported in Saudi Arabia and nearby countries. Health officials are concerned because it kills 30% of the people who catch it and there is no known cure.
Now, two cases have been confirmed in the U.S. Both are health care workers who had been working in Saudi Arabia. More alarming, health professionals in Florida who came into contact with one of the patients are showing symptoms of a flu-like condition–fever, cough, congestion and breathing difficulties. These might signal MERS.
Although the CDC has maintained that casual contact is unlikely to spread the coronavirus responsible for MERS, passengers who were on the same flights as the patient are being contacted. In Saudi Arabia and Europe, where previous cases have been detected, approximately one case in five has been among health care workers. This suggests that the disease can be transmitted through human-to-human contact.
With international travel so common, Americans can no longer assume that they are insulated from infectious diseases that originate in other parts of the world. While MERS may conjure up images of camels (which may be an important animal reservoir for the virus), human beings are carrying it far afield. Infection control will be critical for hospitals caring for such patients.
