News outlets report on the ongoing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak.

Agence France-Presse: New MERS deaths take Saudi toll to 173
“Saudi health authorities reported Monday new deaths from the MERS coronavirus, taking to 173 the overall number of fatalities from the disease in the world’s worst-hit country…” (5/19).

Associated Press: MERS in America: Is spread of virus a worry?
“A respiratory virus that has sickened hundreds in the Middle East has spread for the first time from one person to another in the United States. The case has raised questions about how much contact is needed to transmit the germ…” (Stobbe, 5/19).

The Hill: Will budget cuts help spread deadly MERS virus in U.S.?
“Public health advocates are worried that budget cuts are hampering efforts to contain pandemics such as the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)…” (Al-Faruque, 5/16).

Reuters: Illinois MERS patient ‘not infectious’; Florida patient released
“An Illinois man who had tested positive for antibodies to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus in his blood is no longer infectious, state health officials said on Monday. … Florida officials said separately the second patient infected with MERS has now been released from the hospital in Orlando…” (Steenhuysen, 5/19).