In a follow-up to an earlier report, The Alabama Department of Public Health Bureau of Clinical Laboratories obtained negative results on follow-up tests for a patient in Alabama who had been tested for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV).

The individual presented to a hospital in the state on Aug. 13 with respiratory problems. Because of a history of having recently returned from Saudi Arabia, the patient was placed in negative-pressure isolation and a decision was made to perform a respiratory panel of tests. Initial and secondary tests were negative for MERS.

Contacts of this individual have been informed they can discontinue monitoring and self isolation as a result of these tests.

Related news: Saudi Arabia: 19 MERS cases in two days in Riyadh