CDC updates MERS guidance for health care professionals

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its interim guidance for health care professionals for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. The guidance includes criteria for who should be evaluated for MERS-CoV, which have been updated to include individuals with fever and pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome who have a history of being in a health care facility as a patient, worker or visitor in South Korea within 14 days of symptom onset. The guidance also contains guidelines for the evaluation and management of close contacts, as well as reporting, laboratory testing and infection control. CDC said it will update the infection control guidance in the coming days. MERS-CoV, which can be fatal, was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and has since spread to several other countries, including South Korea, where an outbreak was first reported in May. For more, including common signs and symptoms, see the CDC’s MERS webpage.