The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released updated guidance on testing for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, a viral respiratory illness first reported in September 2012.
As of Aug. 12, there have been 94 cases of MERS-CoV, 49 percent of which were fatal. All cases occurred in people who lived in or traveled from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar or Jordan within 14 days of their symptom onset, or who had close contact with people who lived in or traveled from these countries, according to the CDC. No cases have been reported in the U.S.
CDC has changed its criteria for evaluating patients for MERS-CoV such that patients who meet certain clinical and epidemiologic criteria should be tested for the virus even if there are positive results for another respiratory pathogen. In addition, CDC has clarified criteria for laboratory confirmation of MERS-CoV such that a probable case can apply to people for which another cause of illness has been identified.
CDC also clarified what specimens to obtain when testing for MERS-CoV.
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