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| Yikes! |
MERS = Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
A man with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome may have exposed 100 people to the deadly MERS virus at two Florida hospitals, health officials said today.
The 44-year-old man, who works as a healthcare provider in Saudi Arabia, was admitted to Dr. P. Phillips Hospital in Orlando May 8, a week after developing symptoms of MERS mid-flight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to London.
The man, whose name and nationality have not been released, traveled through Boston and Atlanta before arriving in Orlando, where he was visiting family, officials said.
“He is in good condition and is continuing to improve,” the hospital said in a statement, adding that prior to the man’s hospitalization, he accompanied another patient to Orlando Regional Medical Center May 5
At least 20 hospital workers who were in contact with the man at Dr. P. Phillips Hospital and Orlando Regional Medical Center have been placed in home isolation for the virus’s 14-day incubation period and are awaiting MERS test results.
The U.S. is the latest of 15 countries to report cases of MERS. Saudi Arabia, which is ground zero for the outbreak, has reported 495 cases and 152 deaths related to SARS-like virus.
Health officials are not recommending that anyone change their travel plans at this time, but signs distributed to 22 U.S. airports urge people traveling to the Arabian Peninsula to avoid close contact with sick people, wash their hands often and call a doctor if they develop a fever, cough or shortness of breath within 14 days of their trip.
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