The first case of MERS coronavirus has been reported in the US state of Indiana, after a man fell ill following a trip to Saudi Arabia.
The patient is believed to have contracted the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus while travelling in Saudi Arabia, where more than 100 people have died from the virus since 2012.
They flew back to Chicago via a stop-over in London Heathrow on 24 April. Public Health England have said that the chance of infection is “extremely low”, but those sitting near the passenger on BA flight 262 have been informed, and others that may have come into them and feel ill should call the NHS on 111.
No details of the patient or hospital where they are being treated have been disclosed.
Mers causes fever, pneumonia and kidney failure in humans.
MERS, also termed EMC/2012, is similar to a virus that affects the Egyptian tomb bat, which it has been theorised transferred to camels, where it is often fatal. It has been proposed that humans contract the virus through contaminated camel meat or from being in close contact with an infected camel.
