First US MERS Case Confirmed

United States health officials have confirmed that the first case of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in the U.S. was identified on Friday.

According to a brief announcement made by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, the CDC and Indiana State Department of Health are conducting a joint investigation after the first confirmed case of MERS was identified in Indiana.

The MERS virus is relatively new to humanity, only just now becoming a widely prevalent problem in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. According to the CDC, the countries of Qatar, Oman, Jordan, and Kuwait also have reported a number of infections, with the U.K., France, Tunisia, Italy, and Egypt also reporting cases associated with international travel.

Little has been released by the CDC concerning the U.S. case of infection. However, it stands to reason that this case is a result of international travel as well, as the MERS virus originates from the Arabian Peninsula.

Late last April, the World Health Organization expressed its concern that the international spread of MERS was becoming more of a reality as outbreaks in Saudi Arabia reached record numbers since the disease was first discovered in 2012.

As of last month, Saudi Arabia alone reports approximately 340 confirmed and suspected infections since the Spring of 2012..

MERS is a viral infection experts are comparing to the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that can be found in Asia. Like SARS, MERS causes coughing, fever, and can cause asphyxiation. There is no known cure or vaccination for the viral infection.

Recent studies have shown that the disease may have been circulating among camels in the Said-Arabian region for decades and may have just recently found a way to spread to human hosts in rare cases. Researchers do not believe that direct camel-to-human spread of the virus is possible, but they are investigating if exposure to camel milk or meat products brought on the spread to the human populace.

The CDC confirmed the first U.S. MERS case on May 2.