Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)

Publication Date: December 1, 2015
Last Updated: March 14, 2022

Recommendations

Minimize Chance for Exposures

Ensure facility policies and practices are in place to minimize exposures to respiratory pathogens including MERS-CoV. Measures should be implemented before patient arrival, upon arrival, and throughout the duration of the affected patient’s presence in the healthcare setting.

Before Arrival

When scheduling appointments, instruct patients and persons who accompany them to call ahead or inform HCP upon arrival if they have symptoms of any respiratory infection (e.g., cough, runny nose, fever1) and to take appropriate preventive actions (e.g., wear a facemask upon entry to contain cough, follow triage procedure).
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Upon Arrival and During the Visit

  • Take steps to ensure all persons with symptoms of a respiratory infection adhere to respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, hand hygiene, and triage procedures throughout the duration of the visit. Consider posting visual alerts (e.g., signs, posters) at the entrance and in strategic places (e.g., waiting areas, elevators, cafeterias) to provide patients and HCP with instructions (in appropriate languages) about hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, and cough etiquette. Instructions should include how to use facemasks (See definition of facemask in Appendix) or tissues to cover nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, to dispose of tissues and contaminated items in waste receptacles, and how and when to perform hand hygiene.
  • Provide space and encourage persons with symptoms of respiratory infections to sit as far away from others as possible. If available, facilities may wish to place these patients in a separate area while waiting for care.
  • Ensure rapid triage and isolation of patients who might have MERS-CoV infection
    • Identify patients at risk for having MERS-CoV infection before or immediately upon arrival to the hospital
      • Implement triage procedures to detect patients at risk for having MERS-CoV infections during or before patient triage or registration (e.g., at the time of patient check-in) and ensure that all patients are asked about the presence of symptoms of a respiratory infection and history of travel to areas experiencing transmission of MERS-CoV or contact with possible MERS-CoV patients.
    • Immediately isolate those identified as at risk for having MERS-CoV infection
      • Implement Respiratory Hygiene and Cough Etiquette (i.e., placing a facemask over the patient’s nose and mouth) and isolate those at risk for MERS-CoV infection in an Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR).
  • Provide supplies to perform hand hygiene to all patients upon arrival to facility (e.g., at entrances of facility, waiting rooms, at patient check-in) and throughout the entire duration of the visit to the healthcare setting.
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Overview

Title

Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)

Authoring Organization

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention