US Department of Interior. http://nationalatlas.gov
The CDC confirmed the first cases of MERS in the US. According to sources the infected individual is a health care worker that traveled from Saudi Arabia to London to Chicago then traveled by bus to Indiana. The patient collapsed in an emergency room in Indiana. MERS is a deadly virus that affects the upper respiratory system with flu like symptoms. The MERS virus is deadly and highly contagious. The virus has been found in camels, but health officials don’t know how for sure how it is spreading.
We have been tracking this virus since in July 2013 and found MERS is spreading due to a number of factors. In most parts of the world including the United States, there are no check points to monitor the health of individuals that travel. Billions of dollars are spent annually to secure our borders and protect our people from physical harm but very little is spent on health surveillance. WHO has repeatedly suggested that transit terminals including airports should enforce health screenings or disease monitoring. Temperature monitoring is the front line defense to control the spread of infection and illnesses such as MERS. Containing and preventing the spread of disease should be on the top of the list when it comes to our health. Surveillance using temperature monitoring will catch these isolated cases and prevent a possible epidemic.