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 The case in Illinois was the first direct transmission of the MERS
virus on U.S. soil. The two prior cases earlier in the month were
both "imported" cases of MERS, brought to the United States by
infected travelers from the Middle East, the epicenter of the MERS
outbreak.
Florida officials said separately the second patient infected with
MERS has now been released from the hospital in Orlando.
Since it was first identified in 2012, MERS has infected more than
500 patients in Saudi Arabia alone. It kills about 30 percent of the
people it infects. The virus causes fever, body aches, cough and
sometimes deadly pneumonia.
How MERS is transmitted from person to person is not well
understood, but most cases have occurred through close physical
contact with an infected person or animal, such as a camel, which is
thought to be a reservoir for the virus.
 In the case of the Illinois man, U.S. health officials relied on
blood tests for signs that he had been infected. The tests showed
his immune system had fought off a MERS infection.
The man, who had mild, cold-like symptoms, had two business meetings
with the first MERS patient to reach U.S. soil before he sought
treatment at a hospital in Munster, Indiana.
The man did not test positive for active infection through sensitive
tests of samples from his respiratory tract.
Illinois health officials say a second round of test results from
oral and nasal swabs show the Illinois man "is not infectious," Dr
LaMar Hasbrouck, director of the Illinois Department of Public
Health, said in a statement.
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"What this means is, although the resident was infected at one time,
if he sneezes or coughs, the virus is not in his nose or mouth and
therefore cannot be spread to others," Hasbrouck said.
Health officials will continue to follow up with the Illinois man
and anyone with whom he had close contact. So far, family members
who had close contact with the Illinois resident have all tested
negative, but will continue to be monitored.
In Florida, the Orlando hospital treating the second U.S. MERS
patient said he was discharged on Sunday evening.
The state health department said the man's family members and all 20
hospital workers and doctors who were exposed to him have tested
negative for the virus. Hospital workers may be cleared to return to
work as early as this week.
(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Additional reporting by Barbara
Liston in Orlando; editing by G Crosse and Nick Zieminski)
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