Signature Korea: A compilation of MERS related

articles with regards to travel to South Korea

Should you be
worried about
MERS?
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/09/health/mers-south-korea-explainer/
Hong Kong (CNN)The numbers sound scary as cases and deaths of MERS mount
daily in South Korea.
People are commuting with face masks in a densely crowded Asian capital, schools are
shutting doors and mandatory quarantines are in effect. But what really are the risks and
dangers to the general public?
As one official said, South Korea is fighting two battles: MERS and public fear.

Should I be worried about getting MERS?

Not really.
"It's not a very contagious disease," said Dr. Stanley Perlman, one of the authors of a
comprehensive MERS review published in the journal Lancet this month. "Personally,
people shouldn't be worried, but I can understand the fear factor."
South Koreans are being told to take basic preventative measures like keeping hands
clean, covering coughs and avoiding personal contact.

Signature Korea: A compilation of MERS related

articles with regards to travel to South Korea
A person with MERS is estimated to infect less than one other person. It's called a basic
reproduction number that estimates the average number of people that a sick person
will infect.
Compared with the reproduction number for Ebola, (in which one infected person is
likely to spread the disease to two other people) or measles (one infected person is
likely to to spread the infection to 15 other people), the rate of MERS is low indeed.

How infectious is MERS?

Here's what the science shows: A 2014 research looked at how many people got ill after
living in the same home as MERS patients in Saudi Arabia, the country most affected by
MERS, Of 280 people who lived in the same households of the Saudi patients, 4% were
infected, according to the research published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
If you haven't been sick at a South Korean hospital, and you haven't traveled to Saudi
Arabia, you really need not panic. Experts say your risk is low.

But could the virus change?

The MERS virus could mutate -- in the same way viruses are known to undergo
changes and genetic recombinations. But right now, there is no evidence of genetic
mutation in what's been found in the South Korean cases compared to the Saudi cases.
But coronaviruses are prone to mutation, which could increase risk of a pandemic.

So, why are more cases popping up in South Korea?

That's one of the most important questions right now.
The World Health Organization has a fact finding mission this week to examine what's
happening with MERS in South Korea.
South Korea has a modern and sophisticated health care system. And that could be one
of the reasons why the country is reporting so many cases. They're testing people who
could've been exposed or are showing any possible symptoms of MERS.

Signature Korea: A compilation of MERS related

articles with regards to travel to South Korea
MERS symptoms are fairly general including cold-like symptoms, cough, fever and
nausea.
CNN asked the Ministry of Health how many people in the country have been tested for
MERS, but have not gotten a number.

Shouldn't growing number of MERS concern us?

The MERS count includes people with mild symptoms, and at least one of the confirmed
cases has been completely asymptomatic.
The growing case count doesn't mean everyone with MERS is gravely ill. Several
patients have been cleared and hundreds have been released from quarantine.

How did the MERS outbreak start in South Korea?

The first MERS patient in South Korea traveled to four Middle Eastern countries. After
he developed symptoms, he visited four health care facilities back home. This means he
exposed his fellow patients, their families and health care staff in several facilities before
getting diagnosed.
"I think it's the combination of poor initial handling of the first patient," said Perlman.
"When a MERS patient came to the U.S. or Europe, they were isolated when there was
hint of something going on. In this case, the patient wandered around hospitals and
family members weren't protected and that's the reason why it's gotten worse than other
non Arabian countries."

Why does it matter that the MERS cases occurred in

hospitals?
The bulk of the latest MERS cases have come from two hospitals: St. Mary's, located
south of Seoul, and the Samsung Medical Center, based in Seoul's glitzy Gangnam
district.
Similar to emergency rooms in the United States, hospitals in Korea are often crowded
with sick patients waiting to get care. They are exposed to each other in close proximity.

Signature Korea: A compilation of MERS related

articles with regards to travel to South Korea
Also in South Korea, family members rather than nurses often stay bedside by patients,
changing them and taking care of them. This also exposes them to additional risk of
infection.
Hospital-based MERS outbreaks are by no means new though.
Saudi Arabia reported a 2013 outbreak that infected 23 patients in an intensive care
unit. In that outbreak, 15 people died.

How deadly is MERS?

Like many viral diseases, MERS is much more lethal for people who are already
severely ill. Of those who've died in South Korea after contracting MERS, the deceased
patients had pre-existing conditions including cancer, COPD and chronic heart disease.
"There's a lot of illnesses that make people more prone to infection," Perlman said. "The
obvious are asthma, emphysema, lung disease might not be able to handle infection
very well."
MERS globally has been known to carry about a 30 to 40% death rate. But the death
rate in the South Korean outbreak has consistently remained been under 10%.
Perlman says he believes the death rate could be lower because South Korean health
authorities are finding more cases including mild ones that may not have been picked up
before.

Should kids stay home from school?

Not really. Of nearly 100 cases in South Korea, only one of the MERS cases is a
teenager. This doesn't mean that children don't get infected -- but it's worth looking at
the facts that the vast majority of the MERS patients are older.
Perlman says he doesn't think shutting schools is ideal since the virus is not very
contagious, but said he "can understand why people worry."

Signature Korea: A compilation of MERS related

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Does MERS pose a threat to the United States?

Well, MERS has already popped up in the United States in 2014 -- long before the
South Korean cases.
Both cases in the United States involved health workers who worked in Saudi Arabia
and traveled to Indiana and Florida.
The World Health Organization doesn't recommend any travel or trade restrictions.
Hong Kong, which grappled with SARS over 10 years ago, issued a red alert warning
travelers to avoid non-essential travel to South Korea.

Speaking of SARS, are the two related?

MERS is in the same family of viruses as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome -coronavirus) as well as the common cold. However, unlike SARS, which sickened more
than 8,000 people in 2003 and killed 773 worldwide, MERS does not spread easily
between humans.
SARS eventually waned because health officials quarantined people who were exposed
and contained the infection.

Are there worrying aspects of MERS?

Yes, it comes down to the fact that scientists don't know much about MERS. It's a
relatively new syndrome and there is no vaccine or cure. And the exact mode of how
MERS is transmitted remains unknown.

Signature Korea: A compilation of MERS related

articles with regards to travel to South Korea

South Korea
MERS outbreak: 9
dead; over 2,800
quarantined
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/08/world/south-korea-mersoutbreak/index.html
Seoul, South Korea (CNN)South Korea is grappling with two battles: the virus
itself and the public fear over MERS, one official declared.
The nation has been struck by the largest outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory
Syndrome outside Saudi Arabia, where the virus was discovered.
And the number of cases grows every day. On Tuesday, South Korea reported that a
ninth person had died from MERS and another 13 had contracted the virus, bringing the
number of confirmed cases to 108.
More than 2,800 people remain quarantined, either at home or in health facilities. More
than 2,000 schools remain closed.
Mainly older patients
The virus has struck mainly adults, with the exception of one 16-year-old boy. And the
MERS deaths have been among older adults with pre-existing conditions.

Signature Korea: A compilation of MERS related

articles with regards to travel to South Korea
MERS, which surfaced three years ago, is not well understood. Because the virus is still
fairly new, doctors and scientists do not know its exact source or mode of transmission.
But it is not easily transmitted from person-to-person.
MERS is contracted through close contact with an ill person, usually by living with, or
caring for, him or her, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Far from alone
The case that began the South Korean outbreak hit on May 20. The vast majority of the
cases are hospital clusters.
Experts from the World Health Organization who have dealt with MERS arrived in South
Korea to assess the pattern of the virus spread and to look at public health response
efforts.

South Korea
reports 15th
MERS death, 7
new cases
http://www.rappler.com/world/regions/asia-pacific/96319-south-korea-reportsnew-mers-cases

Signature Korea: A compilation of MERS related

articles with regards to travel to South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (UPDATED) South Korea reported Sunday, June 14,
its 15th death from the MERS virus as the growing outbreak that has infected
145 forced one of the nation's biggest hospitals to suspend most services.
The latest fatality from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome was a 62-year-old
man who died Sunday afternoon in the southern port city of Busan, the city
council said.

South Korea
reports 14th
MERS death, 12
new cases
SEOUL, South Korea South Korea on Saturday, June 13 reported the 14th
death from an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), with
12 new cases including that of an ambulance driver who moved a patient
infected with the deadly virus.
The latest fatality was a 68-year-old woman who contracted the virus at a
hospital in Pyeongtaek City, 65 kilometers (40 miles) south of Seoul, the
Health Ministry said.
It said all the 14 deceased had pre-existing health conditions, with the most
recent fatality suffering from hypertension and hypothyroidism. (READ: South
Korea vows 'all-out' fight vs MERS outbreak)

Signature Korea: A compilation of MERS related

articles with regards to travel to South Korea

South Korea
reports 11th
MERS death
SEOUL, South Korea South Korea on Friday, June 12, reported its 11th
death from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), but health officials
urged people go about their day-to-day lives as normal, saying the rate of new
cases was slowing.
In what has become the largest outbreak of the virus outside Saudi Arabia, a
72-year-old woman died Friday after being infected by a MERS patient at a
hospital, the health ministry said.

Park postpones
US trip as South
Korea MERS
death toll hits 9

Signature Korea: A compilation of MERS related

articles with regards to travel to South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (2nd UPDATE) South Korean President Park GeunHye has postponed a planned trip to the US, her spokesman said Wednesday,
June 10, amid growing public alarm over the MERS outbreak which has now
claimed 9 lives.
The decision to delay the June 14-18 visit came after Park's administration
came under fire for what critics say has been an insufficient response to the
crisis
...
The first infected patient was diagnosed on May 20 after a trip to Saudi Arabia.
The 68-year-old man spread the germs, visiting 4 medical facilities and
infecting other patients and health care workers.

The two latest fatalities were a 75-year-old woman and a 62-year-old man,
victims of the largest outbreak of the virus outside Saudi Arabia.

South Korea
reports 7th
MERS death,
vows to end outbreak

Signature Korea: A compilation of MERS related

articles with regards to travel to South Korea

http://www.rappler.com/world/regions/asia-pacific/95740-south-korea-reportsadditional-mers-death
SEOUL, South Korea (UPDATED) South Korea reported its seventh death
Tuesday, June 9, from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) as the
government, concerned at the economic impact, said it hoped to halt the
outbreak of the virus by the end of the week.
...
The latest fatality was a 68-year-old woman who was infected by a MERS
patient at a hospital in Seoul.

WHO sees no
need for MERS
travel curbs
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/06/mers-south-korea-travel-bans-airportscreenings-philippines-150612035827362.html

Signature Korea: A compilation of MERS related

articles with regards to travel to South Korea
Manila, The Philippines - The World Health Organization has said it is not
recommending travel bans or sweeping airport screenings as part of the measures to
prevent the spread of the MERS virus, which has now killed 11 people in South Korea.
The news came as South Korea's health ministry reported on Friday that a 72-year-old
woman had died at a hospital south of Seoul.
Four new cases of the MERS, or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, virus were also
reported, bringing the total to 126, the world's largest outbreak outside of Saudi Arabia.
One case was reported from China.
WHO: South Korea has taken 'important steps' to
contain MERS

Alison Clements-Hunt, WHO's spokesperson in Manila, told Al Jazeera most cases of

MERS had been limited to healthcare facilities, where patients carrying the virus came
in direct or close contact with another person.
"Unless you have close contact, it is unlikely that you will catch MERS. That's why it
passes in healthcare facilities, because it tends to be in close contact," she said.
"The World Health Organization does not recommend a travel ban," Hunt said, adding
that it does not "actively recommend screening measures" at airports either.
What is advisable, she said, is that the government should have the ability to identify if
travellers come from a country where MERS is "actively circulating", and determining if
the passengers have come in close contact with a person carrying the virus.
"Obviously if someone is sick, travels with a virus and has to go into a healthcare facility
in another country, that's where we are seeing the clusters [of cases]. Most of the
[cases] we see are in healthcare facilities. They are not out in the general population."
The WHO regional office, which covers many Asia-Pacific countries, is based in Manila.
'Spreads like droplets'
Hunt also said that there is "no evidence" at the moment that the MERS virus is
airborne.

Signature Korea: A compilation of MERS related

articles with regards to travel to South Korea
"Evidence to date is that it spreads like droplets. So that's why it needs a relatively close
contact in order to spread," she said.
According to the WHO, MERS is a "zoonotic" virus that is transmitted from animals to
humans.
Its origins "are not fully understood" but medical analysis suggested that it originated
from bats, then transmitted to camels.
Reports said more than 2,400 schools have been closed in South Korea as a result of
the outbreak.
Explained: What is MERS?

Still, Hunt said "it's not so likely" that the cases will quickly spread in the region, given
the measures taken by South Korean health authorities.
"What's more likely is that we will see cases in other countries occasionally coming from
the Middle East, because that's where actually the virus is circulating. That's where we
think it originates."
She said that while the cases in South Korea are "not alarming" and "not different" from
what the WHO monitored in the Arabian Peninsula, she said countries should remain
"vigilant".
"The South Koreans are putting the measures that the WHO recommends, which is
isolation and good infection prevention control in hospitals," Hunt said.