ShareCompartir
Persons using assistive technology might not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, please send e-mail to: mmwrq@cdc.gov. Type 508 Accommodation and the title of the report in the subject line of e-mail.
Update: Recommendations for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
On June 11, 2013, CDC issued interim infection prevention and control recommendations for hospitalized patients with known or suspected Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in U.S. hospitals (1). To date, no MERS-CoV cases have been reported in the United States; however, cases have been reported in eight other countries (2). Recent published reports (3,4) have described limited health-care transmission of MERS-CoV, including cases among health-care personnel in international settings. These published reports highlight the need for rapid detection of infectious patients and adherence to correct infection prevention measures to prevent transmission of the virus among patients, health-care personnel, and visitors.
In coming months, the U.S. health-care system might be called upon to provide care to patients infected with MERS-CoV. Front-line providers and health-care organizations should be prepared to care for MERS-CoV patients as part of routine operations. To aid providers and facilities, CDC has developed checklists that identify key actions that can be taken now to enhance preparedness for treating persons with MERS-CoV infection and compiled a list of preparedness resources (available at http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/preparedness).
Additional information, including guidance on case definitions, infection control, case investigation, and specimen collection and testing, is available at the CDC MERS website (2). The MERS website contains the most current information and guidance, which is subject to change. State and local health departments with questions should contact the CDC Emergency Operations Center at telephone, 770-488-7100.
References
- CDC. Interim infection prevention and control recommendations for hospitalized patients with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2013. Available at http://wwwdev.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/infection-prevention-control.html.
- CDC. Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2013. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/index.html.
- Assiri A, McGeer A, Perl TM, et al. Hospital outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. N Engl J Med 2013. Epub June 19, 2013.
- Mailles A, Blanckaert K, Chaud P, et al. First cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections in France, investigations and implications for the prevention of human-to-human transmission, France, May 2013. Euro Surveill 2013;18(24).
Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.
References to non-CDC sites on the Internet are
provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply
endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content
of pages found at these sites. URL addresses listed in MMWR were current as of
the date of publication.
All MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from typeset documents.
This conversion might result in character translation or format errors in the HTML version.
Users are referred to the electronic PDF version (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr)
and/or the original MMWR paper copy for printable versions of official text, figures, and tables.
An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371;
telephone: (202) 512-1800. Contact GPO for current prices.
**Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to
mmwrq@cdc.gov.
