At a glance
CDC activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to support the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus in 2014.
About the Response
In May 2014, CDC confirmed two imported cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in the U.S.
The first case of MERS was identified in a traveler in Indiana, while the second case was in Florida. The cases were unlinked, but both patients were health care providers who lived and worked in Saudi Arabia.
As part of the public health investigation into the imported cases, CDC collected specimens from each of the household members and the health care workers with whom the two U.S. patients had close contact.
All household members and the health care workers who cared for the patients tested negative for both active and previous infection with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus. In addition to testing the household and heath care contacts, CDC, state and local public health partners, and foreign ministries of health conducted airline contact tracing to identify and notify U.S. travelers who might have been exposed to infected travelers.