MERS Slowly Spreads To U.S.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has been confirmed in its second stateside victim this month. The virus is noteworthy for it’s 30% mortality rate and seemingly tame symptoms of fever, chills, and coughing. The two victims were diagnosed in Indiana and Florida with the latter having recently traveling to the U.S. from Saudi Arabia, but not before stopping in London, Boston, and Atlanta. The 44-year-old Floridian is listed in good condition, and is expected to improve. The CDC has been at work trying to inform all who may have been in contact with the man. The patient with the first confirmed case of MERS in the U.S. has been released from the hospital, according to the Indiana State Department of Health. According to officials, the patient has made a full recovery and past all tests required to medically clear him.

Though the virus has only been contracted by slightly over 500 people worldwide and the death count is at 145, officials suggest that transmission is fairly limited to close contact. So there’s no need to dust off your old SARS masks just yet, but the CDC’s quick action to put a stop to the spread is a clear indication of just how serious the condition is. While growth doesn’t seem to be escalating very quickly, April saw a diagnoses of ~275 cases and leveled back off again in May. The virus seems to have originated in Saudi Arabian camels.