This file photo provided by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases shows a colorized transmission of the MERS coronavirus that emerged in 2012.
(Photo11: NIAID via The Canadian Press/AP)
Officials from the CDC and the Florida Department of Health are investigating the second case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in the United States, according to a May 12 media advisory.
Details on the patient or the location of the case were not made immediately available. The CDC designated the case as “imported,” which means it reportedly originated outside the US.
MERS-CoV was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. On May 2, 2014 CDC reported the first case of MERS in the United States.
[Read more: CDC Confirms First MERS Case Hits United States.]
As of May 3, a total of 489 MERS cases and 126 deaths globally had been reported to the World Health Organization, according to a May 7 news release.
According to the CDC, all MERS cases have been linked to seven countries in the Arabian Peninsula. The virus has spread from ill people to others through close contact, such as caring for or living with an infected person. However, there is no evidence of sustained spreading in community settings, the CDC reports.
More information is available on the CDC website.
