USA - Florida: Man, 44, healthcare worker from Saudi Arabia, confirmed coronavirus MERS case - improving

[Pathfinder]

Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

Two Florida workers awaiting MERS test results after contact with second case

Associated Press 1:45 p.m. EDT May 13, 2014
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Two workers at Dr. Phillips Hospital, who were not identified, have shown flu-like symptoms recent days. One of them was sent home, and the other has been hospitalized in isolation. Both are awaiting test results that could come later this week. Crespo said MERS has been shown to have a 14-day incubation period.
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Crespo said the Saudi resident spent most of his time in Orlando at the home he was staying at, and he didn't visit any of the area's tourist attractions.

The 44-year-old patient still has a low-grade fever and is being treated in isolation at Dr. Phillips Hospital.
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The White House said Tuesday that President Barack Obama had been briefed on the MERS cases in the U.S.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama's team is watching the situation very closely and that the Centers for Disease Control is coordinating responses along with Florida officials.

http://www.floridatoday.com/story/life/wellness/2014/05/13/two-florida-workers-awaiting-mers-test-results-after-contact-with-second-case/9040391/

[Pathfinder]

Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

Officials investigate MERS case in Florida

By Elizabeth Landau and Ashley Hayes CNN
POSTED: 02:05 PM EDT May 13, 2014 UPDATED: 02:20 PM EDT May 13, 2014
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One health care worker in Orlando began showing symptoms 72 hours after exposure to the MERS patient but did not meet criteria for admission and was sent home, said Dr. Antonio Crespo, an infectious disease specialist at Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, where the MERS patient is being treated. The health care worker will be monitored and seems to be improving, Crespo said.

The other one, whose symptoms began 24 hours after exposure, was admitted to the same hospital, officials said Tuesday at a press conference.

"We're just waiting for the results from the testing that was done yesterday to decide about discharge," Crespo said.
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http://www.wsbt.com/news/health/Officials-investigate-MERS-case-in-Florida/25955472

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Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

Hospital Workers Exposed to MERS Virus Awaiting Test Results

KATIE MOISSE
Tuesday, May 13, 2014

A man with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome may have exposed 100 people to the deadly MERS virus at two Florida hospitals, health officials said today.

At least 20 hospital workers who were in contact with the man at Dr. P. Phillips Hospital and Orlando Regional Medical Center have been placed in home isolation...
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An estimated 80 other people who may have been exposed to the virus in waiting rooms at the two hospitals have also been contacted. The infected man was not wearing a mask despite his respiratory symptoms and a fever as high as 102 degrees, and did not inform hospital staff that he worked at a hospital in Saudi Arabia that treated MERS patients until after his arrival, officials said.
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The results of MERS testing for the 20 exposed healthcare workers are expected Wednesday or Thursday. If any tests come back positive, MERS testing will be offered to other community members that may have been exposed.
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Family members of the Orlando MERS patient have also been placed in home isolation and are awaiting test results, officials said. Another 500 people who shared three U.S.-bound flights with him have also been contacted.
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http://abc7news.com/news/hospital-workers-exposed-to-mers-virus-awaiting-test-results/57013/

[Giuseppe]

Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

Most of airplane contacts are near the end of the maximum known incubation period (2-14 days), so an illness should develop AFTER the expiration of this time would likely be result of other conditions.

For local Florida contacts the incubation period will expire around May 20, so that is important for those involved to screen carefully health situation.

Indiana patient did not cause tertiary transmission and this may be of some relief, although the individual patient infectivity may be variable (ie: super-spreaders).

Importantly, every additional case should be regarded as tertiary, since the patient caught the virus from another human at workplace...

[Treyfish]

Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

....The U.S. Transportation Security Administration will post CDC advisories at more than 20 U.S. airports to alert travelers about the virus.
Although there are no recommendations to change travel plans, the signs will advise travelers to the Arabian Peninsula to avoid contact with sick people and wash their hands often. They should contact a doctor if they develop symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath and coughing, the CDC said.
"We think it's really critical to avoid overreacting in the community but also avoid under-reacting in the health care environment," Schuchat told CNN. "The reason for the signage is so that we can promptly identify potential cases so that they can be separated from other people."...http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/13/health...ida/index.html

[Treyfish]

Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

...At least 20 medical workers from 2 facilities are undergoing tests for infection and more quarantines are expected.
To make matters worse, ABC News reported:
An estimated 80 other people who may have been exposed to the virus in waiting rooms at the two hospitals have also been contacted. The infected man was not wearing a mask despite his respiratory symptoms and a fever as high as 102 degrees, and did not inform hospital staff that he worked at a hospital in Saudi Arabia that treated MERS patients until after his arrival, officials said...http://intellihub.com/florida-reside...chTBzA.twitter

[Treyfish]

Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

https://twitter.com/ICUStat/status/466349039857205248/photo/1

[sharon sanders]

Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

I know that this region of the country is considered high risk for disasters so the public health infrastructure routinely drills and prepares for exactly this type of disease event. I believe this preparation has been going on for about 15 years.

I am hoping that this long term community preparation will pay off now.

The situation is what it is.

No one in my family, or anyone I know, is altering their daily routine - at this point.

It was interesting to find out that the first symptoms for this patient were aches, chills, diarrhea..followed by fever and then a cough.

DO NOT GO TO ANY CLINIC, EMERGENCY ROOM, DOCTOR'S OFFICE UNLESS YOU CALL FIRST IF YOU SUSPECT CORONAVIRUS MERS.

BE RESPONSIBLE - DO NOT INFECT OTHERS!

[Treyfish]

Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

TSA Warns Travelers About Deadly MERS VirusVIDEO

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/mers-mystery/tsa-warns-travelers-about-deadly-mers-virus-n104716

[Treyfish]

Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

..11Alive's Matt Pearl spoke with a passenger from that flight who is looking for answers.
The passenger, Ben Kinney, says the CDC has called him twice in as many days. They told him he was on a flight from Boston to Atlanta with the person infected with the MERS virus.
Kinney is an Atlanta resident who travels regularly. The CDC hasn't said publicly which flights carried the patient, but they confirmed he was on a flight back from Boston earlier this month. He has been told he's probably fine, but that he should keep an eye out for any symptoms.
The CDC wouldn't tell him how close he sat to the patient in question while on board the flight.
"I thought it was critical information," Kinney said. "I thought it didn't violate anyone's confidentiality or health information, so there was no reason to keep it from me."..http://www.11alive.com/story/news/lo...light/9056893/

[Pathfinder]

Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

MERS symptoms show up in 2 U.S. health workers

CBC NewsPosted: May 13, 2014 11:50 AM ETLast Updated: May 13, 2014 10:28 PM ET
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About 15 other workers at Dr. Phillips Hospital, as well as five workers at a second Orlando hospital where the Saudi resident visited, have been asked to stay home from work for two weeks until they are cleared of having the virus.

One of the workers is a doctor who travelled to Canada, a hospital spokesperson said.

"For privacy concerns, we are not revealing the location of this physician.

What we can say is that the physician has been notified of our patient?s positive MERS test results, which he did not know prior to travel. Because he is a physician, he understands and is following the proper precautions. As late as this afternoon, he is not symptomatic and efforts are underway now to co-ordinate testing in his current location,? Geo Morales, a spokesman for Orlando Health, said in an email to CBC News.
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http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/mers-symptoms-show-up-in-2-u-s-health-workers-1.2641186

[Pathfinder]

Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

Florida MERS patient sat in busy ER for hours

By Barbara Liston
ORLANDO Wed May 14, 2014 12:09am EDT

(Reuters) - The second U.S. patient to be diagnosed with the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) spent at least four hours in the public waiting room of a busy Florida emergency department before he was seen by a doctor, a hospital official said.

Almost eight more hours passed before staff at Orlando's Dr. P. Phillips Hospital determined the patient had traveled from Saudi Arabia, where he worked at a hospital, began to suspect his exposure to MERS and had him moved to an isolation room, the hospital's chief quality control officer said.
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While the Orlando patient waited to be admitted, he was treated in a single room in the emergency department where healthcare workers wore gloves and gowns due to his diarrhea,but did not wear goggles and face masks appropriate for protecting them from the virus, Crespo said.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/us-usa-health-mers-hospital-idUSKBN0DU06520140514

[Pathfinder]

Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

Woman exposed to MERS speaks out
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Author: Shaun Chaiyabhat, Reporter
Published On: May 13 2014 12:32:47 PM EDT Updated 36 m

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"They informed me that there was a confirmed case of the MERS virus from my flight from Atlanta to Orlando. I was really scared," said the woman who does not want to be identified, but lives in Virginia and flew with her husband on May 1 aboard the same Delta flight with the MERS-infected patient.

Twelve days after her flight, her State Health Department called and sent her a letter that reads:

"You were exposed to a person with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome(MERS) on your flight" and asks if she has symptoms like fever (100.4 f degrees), cough, difficulty breathing, wheezing, or pain when coughing or breathing deeply. She and others who flew with the MERS patient must record their temperature for 14 days after their exposure."

"I was in shock that I could actually contract it. We're considered exposed but there was no level associated with that. They just said to me, 'You and your husband are considered to be exposed to the MERS virus,'" she said.

She and her husband have no symptoms but still have to monitor their health and they have until May 15 before they are in the clear.
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http://www.clickorlando.com/news/orlando-mers-patient-still-has-fever/25953878

[sharon sanders]

Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

From: FluTrackers <flutrackers@earthlink.net>
To: Katherine Dagenais - Orlando Health <Katharine.Dagenais@orlandohealth.com>, "Mirna.Chamorro@flhealth.gov" <Mirna.Chamorro@flhealth.gov>
Subject: Good morning! Any test results? A coronavirus MERS media conference today?
Date: May 14, 2014 9:54 AM


Hi!

Please relay any information on:

any test results,

new suspected cases,

new confirmed cases,

condition of any confirmed/suspected cases,

media conference schedule,

any other pertinent information.


thanks!

Sharon

[sharon sanders]

Re: USA - Florida: CDC confirms 2nd coronavirus MERS case

From: "Dagenais, Katie M." <Katharine.Dagenais@orland... [Edit Address Book]
To: 'FluTrackers' <flutrackers@earthlink.net>, "Mirna.Chamorro@flhealth.gov" <Mirna.Chamorro@flhealth.gov>
Subject: RE: Good morning! Any test results? A coronavirus MERS media conference today?
Date: May 14, 2014 9:55 AM

Will do Sharon. I've added you to our email list.

Katie