This guidance supersedes the July 2014 CDC guidance, Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which highlighted the key infection control recommendations including standard, contact, and airborne precautions. This updated guidance continues to recommend standard, contact, and airborne precautions. In addition, it emphasizes additional elements of infection prevention and control programs that should be in place to prevent the transmission of any infectious agents including respiratory pathogens such as MERS-CoV in healthcare settings. These interim recommendations were informed by evidence-based infection prevention and control guidelines CDC has published previously, including Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings, which includes recommendations for the related SARS-CoV, review of current evidence on MERS-CoV infection, and the following considerations:
Current lack of a safe and effective vaccine and chemoprophylaxis
A possible high rate of morbidity and mortality among infected patients
Incompletely defined modes of transmission of MERS-CoV
CDC will continue to evaluate new information as it becomes available and will update or expand this guidance as needed.