An Illinois resident has been confirmed as the third case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Illinois resident reportedly had close contact with the Indiana MERS patient before the Indiana patient was confirmed with the virus. The Illinois resident was initially contacted and tested for MERS as part of the investigation regarding the Indiana MERS patient. The Illinois resident initially tested negative for active MERS on May 5. On May 61, the test result came back positive showing the resident had developed antibodies to the virus.
The Illinois resident has reported no symptoms and is feeling well, according to the report.
"This latest development does not change CDC's current recommendations to prevent the spread of MERS," said David Swerdlow, MD, who is leading CDC's MERS response, in a news release. "It's possible that as the investigation continues others may also test positive for MERS-CoV infection but not get sick. Along with state and local health experts, CDC will investigate those initial cases and if new information is learned that requires us to change our prevention recommendations, we can do so."
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