Two US hospital workers cleared of MERS

Two workers at a Florida hospital who fell ill after caring for the second person in the US diagnosed with the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus have been cleared of infection, a hospital spokesman said on Wednesday.

"The two team members from Dr. P. Phillips Hospital who were symptomatic have tested negative for MERS," said hospital spokesman Geo Morales.

The hospital is awaiting test results on the other 18 healthcare workers who had close contact with the confirmed MERS patient, a 44-year-old male healthcare worker who was visiting from Saudi Arabia.

US health officials said that the Saudi Arabian patient first flew to London and then through Boston and Atlanta, arriving in Orlando on May 1. He reported feeling unwell during the flight and was hospitalized on Friday and diagnosed with the MERS virus on Sunday night.

Xinhua

(China Daily 05/16/2014 page11)