A man hospitalized in Indiana with the first U.S. case of the mysterious MERS virus that has stricken hundreds of people in the Middle East is in good condition and improving by the day, according to government health officials.
Indiana Health Commissioner William VanNess II said no new cases have been reported.
The man, a health care worker who had returned to the United States after traveling to Saudi Arabia, came to the emergency department of Community Hospital in Munster, Ind., on April 27 with a fever, cough and shortness of breath.
He was later diagnosed with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), a virus characterized by respiratory symptoms and fever. It first appeared two years ago in Saudi Arabia.
Representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are at the hospital. Staff members who had direct contact with the patient before he was diagnosed and isolated are being monitored and have temporarily been restricted to their homes.
Amy Reel, spokeswoman for the Indiana Health Department, said officials planned no updates Sunday but would have a news conference Monday to discuss the case.
MERS is infectious, but health officials said they believe it spreads only after close contact. The best thing those worried about MERS can do is wash their hands regularly, wipe down potentially infected surfaces with anti-bacterial agents, and avoid others who are sick, officials said.
Since MERS appeared two years ago, the World Health Organization has confirmed infections in 262 people in 12 countries. Of those, 93 people have died. An additional 100 people have tested positive for the disease but are not included in the health organization's tally, according to Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon general and director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC.
No vaccine exists for the disease. Treatment consists of standard supportive care for a respiratory illness.
MERS is more dangerous to those with pre-existing health conditions or weakened immune systems. The median age of people who have fallen ill is 51.
Health officials have many questions about the virus, such as exactly where it originated. It's been found in camels, leading to speculation it crosses species.
Doctors don't know why some people can be infected and have no symptoms, while others die from the disease.
The patient in the Munster hospital flew from Riyadh to London on April 24 and on to Chicago. He then took a bus from Chicago to Indiana. It's a reminder, Schuchat said, that exotic diseases can be "just a plane ride away.''
Contributing: The Indianapolis Star; The Associated Press
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