Because of the patient's symptoms and recent travel, doctors tested for MERS-CoV. MERS-CoV is a viral respiratory illness which was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

As of Friday, 262 people in 12 countries were confirmed to have the disease, and 93 died. More than 100 other patients have a confirmed case but are not included in the World Health Organization tally, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, Assistant Surgeon General, United States Public Health Service and Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Health officials do not know where the virus came from or how it spreads. There is no vaccine or treatment protocol for the virus. The virus does tends to spread in hospitals, not in community settings, Schuchat said.

"We expected it to come to the U.S., and we have been preparing for this," she said. "MERS is now in our heartland."

There is a very low risk to the general public in connection with the local case, she said.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said the state has deployed the full resources of the Indiana State Department of Health to track the case, assess the risk to the public and work to prevent the spread of the virus.