( CNN ) -- The first U.S. case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome ( MERS ) coronavirus has been reported in Indiana , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday . The patient is a health-care provider who recently traveled to Saudi Arabia to provide health care , said Dr. Anne Schuchat , assistant surgeon general with the U.S. Public Health Service and director for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases . The person , an American male , traveled on April 24 from Riyadh to London , then to Chicago , and took a bus to Indiana , officials said . He began experiencing shortness of breath , coughing , and fever on April 27 , according to the Indiana State Department of Health . The patient was admitted to Community Hospital in Munster , Indiana , on April 28 , the same day he visited the emergency department there , the health department said . He has been isolated and is in stable condition . He is receiving oxygen support , but does not require a ventilator , Schuchat said . MERS : 5 things to know . The virus poses a `` very low risk to the broader general public , '' Schuchat said , as it has not been shown to spread easily from person to person . The CDC and the Indiana State Department of Health are conducting a joint investigation into the case , according to a CDC statement . The CDC confirmed Indiana test results on Friday . `` The CDC , IDPH ( Illinois Department of Public Health ) and CDPH ( Chicago Department of Public Health ) do not consider passengers on the flight or bus to be close contacts of the patient and therefore are not at high risk , '' said Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck , director of the IDPH . Passengers on the same plane and bus as the patient will be contacted by the CDC as a precautionary measure , starting Saturday , the Illinois statement said . If the CDC identifies ill individuals with possible MERS-CoV , it will notify health officials in Chicago and Indiana . `` There is no reason to suspect any current risk to travelers or employees at O'Hare Airport at this time , '' said CDPH commissioner Bechara Choucair . The coronavirus , known as MERS-CoV , was first reported in the Middle East -- specifically , the Arabian Peninsula -- in 2012 . Laboratory testing has confirmed 262 cases of the coronavirus in 12 countries , including the Indiana case , Schuchat said . Ninety-three people have died . So far , all MERS cases have been linked to six countries on or near the Arabian Peninsula , Schuchat said . The Saudi Ministry of Health has reported 339 cases , and said nearly a third of those have died . Not all of the Saudi cases have been confirmed by the World Health Organization . `` The MERS virus is of grave concern because of the virulence , '' Schuchat said . But , she added , `` We 're not yet aware of confirmed sustained community transmission . '' Late last month , Saudi officials noted a spike in new cases . The CDC has expected MERS to come to the United States , Schuchat said . `` We have been preparing for this . '' However , `` The introduction of MERS-CoV is another reminder that diseases are just a plane ride away , '' she said . Opinion : Why MERS virus is so scary . MERS-CoV comes from the same group of viruses as the common cold and attacks the respiratory system , according to the CDC . Symptoms , which include fever , cough and shortness of breath , can lead to pneumonia and kidney failure . The CDC has issued general precautions such as frequent hand-washing , avoiding close contact with infected people , avoiding touching your eyes , nose and mouth with unwashed hands , and disinfecting surfaces that are frequently touched . Pediatricians should ask about where young patients with high fever and respiratory symptoms have traveled , Schuchat said . `` Young children often have fever and respiratory symptoms , but the key here is : Was there a history of travel within the past 14 days to the Arabian Peninsula , or contact with someone ? ... They should alert their clinician about that travel or contact , '' Schuchat said . Currently , the CDC does not recommend changing travel plans because of the virus , Schuchat said . No one knows exactly how this virus originated , but evidence is emerging implicating camels . In a recently published study in mBio , researchers said they isolated live MERS virus from two single-humped camels , known as dromedaries . They found multiple substrains in the camel viruses , including one that perfectly matches a substrain isolated from a human patient . The same group of researchers reported in February that nearly three-quarters of camels in Saudi Arabia tested positive for past exposure to the MERS coronavirus . MERS mystery : Virus found in camels . Although many of the cases have occurred on the Arabian Peninsula , people have died of the infection elsewhere , including in European countries and Tunisia in North Africa . Egypt reported its first case on April 26 , according to the WHO . Limited human-to-human transmission of the disease has also occurred in other countries -- meaning some people who traveled to the Middle East gave the virus to others . Officials are not aware of any other confirmed U.S. cases , Schuchat said , adding it 's too early to assume no one else is ill. An active investigation is underway . CNN 's Miriam Falco , Caleb Hellerman and Ashley Hayes contributed to this report .
The patient is a health care worker who traveled to Saudi Arabia . MERS coronavirus was first reported in 2009 in the Middle East . Saudi officials have noted a recent increase in cases .