May 12 (Bloomberg) — A second U.S. case of a potentially lethal virus from the Arabian peninsula has been identified in Florida, federal health officials said.
The first case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, called MERS-CoV, was an Indiana health-care worker who returned from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on April 24, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on May 2. The agency said it planned to release more details on the Florida case later today.
The coronavirus had caused 401 cases of illness in 12 countries and 93 deaths as of May 6, according to the CDC. The World Health Organization's emergency committee is scheduled to meet tomorrow to decide whether MERS should be declared a public health emergency of international concern.
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The Indiana patient, a man who hasn't been identified by federal or state authorities, was placed in isolation at Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana, after being admitted on April 28. He was "fully recovered" and released on May 10 from the hospital, Indiana health officials said in a statement.
"The patient has tested negative for MERS, is no longer symptomatic and poses no threat to the community," Alan Kumar, chief medical information officer for the hospital, said in the statement.
Benjamin Haynes, a spokesman for the CDC, didn't immediately respond to e-mails seeking information on the new case in Florida.
The virus causes respiratory distress, coughing and fever. Little is know about its origin, and there is no vaccine or cure.
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