On May 1, 2014, the first U.S. imported case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was confirmed in a traveler from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the U.S. On May 11, 2014, a second U.S. imported case of MERS was confirmed in a traveler who also came from Saudi Arabia. The two U.S. cases were not linked.

The first case of MERS in the United States, identified in a traveler recently returned from Saudi Arabia, was reported to CDC by the Indiana State Department of Health on May 1, 2014, and confirmed by the CDC. On May 16, 2014, an Illinois resident who had contact with the first case of MERS in the U.S. tested positive for MERS-CoV.