US reports third case of MERS virus

The first US MERS case is a US resident who had traveled back from Saudi Arabia and was admitted to an Indiana hospital April 28. He was confirmed to have MERS virus infection May 2, and has since been released from the hospital.

A second US imported case of MERS virus infection was confirmed May 11 on a 44-year-old man who also came to the US from Saudi Arabia. This patient is currently hospitalised in Florida and doing well, the CDC said.

The MERS is a virus that is new to humans and was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. As of May 16, there have been 572 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS virus infection in 15 countries with 173 deaths, according to CDC.

Most of these people developed severe acute respiratory illness, with fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Officials do not know where the virus came from or exactly how it spreads. There is no available vaccine or specific treatment recommended for the virus.