A new virus, first reported in the Middle East, finds US soil for the first time and is hitting close to home.

May 5, 2014

Then United States has seen and reported its first case of a new virus.  Becoming more known in the Middle East and around the Arabian Peninsula in particular, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus has been reported in northern Indiana.  A health care provider recently visited Saudi Arabia and was exposed to the disease, when he came back he traveled through Chicago and took a train to Munster where he was admitted to Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana.

This man is currently in stable condition receiving some oxygen.

Should you Be Concerned?

Doctors and experts say MERS is not likely to cause a pandemic in the United States right now as it is not something that is currently spreading very easily.  However they are concerned about the future.  It is a virus that comes from the same group of viruses as the cold but attacks the respiratory system but experts say it is not something that can be caught by simply riding on the same plane or train as the person carrying the virus.

What Should I Do?

Doctors say you should take many of the same precautions as you do to protect yourself from the common cold, such as, washing your hands frequently, keeping surfaces disinfected, avoid touching your face with unwashed hands, and especially wash your hands prior to eating.

For more information on MERS-CoV, please visit

http://www.cdc.gov/features/novelcoronavirus/
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/02/health/indiana-mers/index.html?iref=allsearch