Masters of ships destined for ports in the United States are required to immediately report any ill person among passengers or crew to the quarantine station with jurisdiction at which the ship will arrive.

Over the past ten months, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been notified of 82 laboratory-confirmed cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Of these 82 cases, 45 resulted in death.

This viral respiratory illness originated in the Arabian Peninsula in 2012 and spread globally. Infected persons display severe pneumonia-like symptoms including acute respiratory infection, fever, cough, and shortness of breath.