UK health authorities say second US MERS case flew via London

LONDON: British health authorities said on Monday they had found a second case of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus in a person who flew from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to the United States transiting through London on May 1.

The passenger, who is the second known MERS infected patient to have flown to the United States, was on Saudi Airlines Flight 113 from Jeddah to London, and transferred at Heathrow for onward travel, Public Health England (PHE) said in statement.

"Risk of transmission is considered extremely low but as a precautionary measure, PHE is working with the airline to be able to contact UK passengers who were sitting in the vicinity of the affected passenger to provide health information," the PHE statement added.