What is MERS and is San Antonio at risk?

Click ahead for a crash course on the newly discovered virus that four San Antonians were exposed to. Click ahead for a crash course on the newly discovered virus that four San Antonians were exposed to. Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close What is MERS and is San Antonio at risk? 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — Four San Antonio residents were exposed to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, but have since been cleared of the newly discovered virus that has no vaccine or specific treatment and has a fatality rate of about 30 percent, officials said.

The first case of the illness in the United States occurred May 2 after an individual in Indiana contracted the disease after traveling from Saudi Arabia, said Dr. Thomas Schlenker, director of public health for San Antonio and Bexar County. Another case was reported in Florida last week, and the man who contracted the virus, also from Saudi Arabia, still is hospitalized but doing well, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 500 Americans, including the four San Antonio residents, have been identified by the CDC as being exposed to those two cases in Florida and Indiana and are being tested for the virus.

All four from the Alamo City are believed to be clear of the virus because no symptoms are present and the incubation period for the virus has long passed.

“There is no cause for alarm, there is no risk at all for folks in San Antonio,” Schlenker said.

According to the CDC, the two confirmed “cases of MERS imported to the U.S. represent a very low risk to the general public in this country.”

The viral respiratory illness begins with symptoms similar to a bad cold, Schlenker said, but quickly turns into a case similar to severe pneumonia.

“This virus has spread from ill people to others through close contact, such as caring for or living with an infected person,” the CDC explains on its website. “However, there is no evidence of sustained spreading in community settings.”

Although there are no specific treatments, individuals diagnosed with the illness can receive supportive care such as oxygen and intravenous therapy at a hospital that greatly reduces the risk of death, Schlenker said.

kparker@express-news.net Twitter: @KoltenParker