Workers exposed to MERS patient at Florida hospital fall ill

By Michelle Kapusta,

Two health care workers, who provided care for a patient infected with MERS, have fallen ill.

According to Reuters, health workers at a hospital in Orlando, Florida have begun showing symptoms of the virus and one staffer has been hospitalized.

However, NBC News reported that at least one of the cases is almost certain not to be MERS because the worker showed symptoms just one day after treating the patient. It usually takes about five days from coming in contact with an infected person to show symptoms.

The Florida patient, who the health care professionals were treating for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, is the second reported case in the U.S.

The MERS coronavirus was first identified in Jordan and Saudi Arabia in 2012. Since then cases of the deadly virus have been reported in several other countries including Malaysia, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, France, Italy and Indonesia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that the virus source may have come from a camel and now can be spread between humans who have had close contact, though it isn't easily spread Some of the symptoms include fever, kidney failure, pneumonia and shortness of breath.

There is no known cure for the virus.



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