Second Case of MERS Virus Documented in United States by CDC

A press conference is scheduled for 2 p.m. today where officials from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention and the Florida Department of Health will reveal more information about the United States' second MERS virus case.

On April 28, a man was hospitalized in Indiana after experiencing respiratory symptoms, including shortness of breath, coughing, and a fever. On May 2, it was confirmed that the man was diagnosed with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) after traveling to Saudi Arabia. The CDC and Indiana Department of Health confirmed the diagnosis.

Now, ten days after the first diagnosis, a second case was reported today in Florida. More details will be revealed during the press conference, but for now that is all that was released about the latest case. The virus is not highly contagious, but the public needs o know about the current status of its presence in the United States.

"We've anticipated MERS reaching the US, and we've prepared for and are taking swift action," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, following the first case, in this CDC news release. "We're doing everything possible with hospital, local, and state health officials to find people who may have had contact with this person so they can be evaluated as appropriate. We can break the chain of transmission in this case through focused efforts here and abroad."

The disease is transmitted from camels to humans and is most prevalent in Saudi Arabia, where the country's Ministry of Health reported 449 cases of MERS and 121 deaths as of May 8. The number of cases in the Middle Eastern country has spiked dramatically in the past few months, and the government as well as the World Health Organization are taking measures to halt its spread before Ramadan and Hajj.

Last month both Chinese and American scientists discovered antibodies that possessed the ability to block cells from becoming infected with the MERS virus in an experimental lab dish. MERS-4 and MERS-27 were elaborated upon in the published version of the study entitled Potent Neutralization of MERS-COV by Human Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies to the Viral Spike Glycoprotein, in the journal of Translational Medicine.

More news could be coming soon as the Saudi Arabia government mentioned they were speaking with drug manufacturers about a possible vaccine for MERS.