CDC Issues Update on SARS-Like Virus Outbreak Updates: SARS-Like Virus, Fungal Meningitis, and the Flu The

CDC has issued updates on the SARS-like coronavirus that started in September; the fungal meningitis outbreak resulting from steroid injections; and the waning flu season. By Alysha Reid, Everyday Health Staff Writer FRIDAY, March 8, 2013 Human transmission of the novel coronavirus may be possible, according to an update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the SARS-like coronavirus outbreak that started last September and has claimed 8 of the 14 people confirmed to have had it. Three of the confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection were identified in the United Kingdom as part of a cluster within one family, according to the CDC. The first patient of the three was a 60-year-old man who had recently traveled to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. He developed respiratory illness on January 24 before returning to the U.K. on January 28. By January 31, he was hospitalized for severe lower respiratory tract disease, and is currently receiving intensive care. The patient tested positive for both the H1N1 virus and novel coronavirus infection. The second patient, an adult male living in the same household, became sick on February 6 after being in contact with the index patient. Despite receiving intensive treatment, he died of severe respiratory disease. Officials suspect that his unspecified underlying medical condition might have made him more susceptible to severe respiratory infection. The third patient, an adult female also in contact with the first patient, developed respiratory illness on February 5. She didnt require hospitalization and has since recovered. As of March 7, 14 people have been confirmed to have this novel coronavirus, with eight deaths. The cases have so far are in the Middle East and the United Kingdom. While there currently are no known cases in the United States, the CDC is urging people who develop severe acute lower respiratory illness within ten days after traveling the Arabian Peninsula and neighboring countries to get tested for novel coronavirus infection. This respiratory infection can invade the lungs and immune system in a similar way as SARS Fungal Meningitis A total of 720 fungal meningitis cases, including 48 deaths, have been reported in 20 states since July 2012, according to a March 4 health alert from the CDC. While the volume of fungal meningitis cases has decreased from its Fall 2012 peak, patients who originally tested negative for signs of the infection are now becoming sick. What the CDC describes as a prolonged incubation period raises concerns about the health of those who have undetected meningitis infections. These infections may be unrecognized because some patients have not continued to receive close clinical followup or because they have not recognized symptoms suggestive of a localized infection, which may be difficult to distinguish from their baseline chronic pain, CDC officials said in the health alert.

In October, the national fungal meningitis outbreak was traced to contaminated steroid shots from a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy. Health officials estimated that up to 13,000 people were exposed to the tainted drugs. The pharmacy has since been shut down. The Flu: Slowing Down After Intense Season The flu outbreak is continuing to drop, according to the latest figures from the CDC, but it's still on record as one of the hardest-hitting flu seasons. A total of 1,074 new cases of the flu and 940 deaths have been reported between February 24 and March 2. Experts blame the flu seasons intensity on an earlier-than-normal start to the flu season. According to the CDC, the 2012-2013 flu season started in late November, more than a month earlier than usual.