MERS Outbreak continues in South Korea

With the 27th death and MERS now spreading to the general public, in some cases by unknown transmission mode, as the outbreak worsens in South Korea.

Albert wrote: No prob..... when you upload it you have to edit the "https" and remove the "s" so it's just "http", but I can fix it anytime.

Albert. Looks like you are up early like me. tysm.

With a few new cases each and every day, after all their quarentines, closing of schools, disinfecting and closing of hospitals, I think it's fair to say it has "taken hold". The virus must be living outside of these realms.

The MERS outbreak in South Korea is not over and it is jumping the gun to say it will be over at the end of June. Previously it was supposed to have ended June 12th and a few days ago much of the city of Seoul was in a panic. It is said there was a $190,000,000 hit to the economy and the fear of MERS was causing more damage than the disease.

We are still seeing more cases and actually the disease was carried and transmitted mainly by three superspreaders.

http://www.ecns.cn/2015/06-16/169467.shtml

Kwon Jun-wook, director general of the health ministry's public health policy, held a press conference on Monday with foreign correspondents in Seoul, saying that the last day of the 14-day latent period among potential super spreaders will be June 27. If no infection cluster is added by that day, the MERS outbreak could be viewed as coming to an end.

The MERS spread was originally expected to be contained by June 12, but new cases would continue to be added "sporadically" by the end of this month as new potential "super spreaders" infecting more than eight people were discovered.

The patient zero, also called index case who began to show MERS symptoms from May 11, was quarantined from May 20. The last day of his 14-day incubation period was June 3, but since the day, another infection cluster, or a massive number of contagions, was caused by the 14th patient, who was infected by the first patient.

The 14th patient alone infected more than 70 people at the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, which was partially closed last weekend for its failure to control and prevent the viral disease within hospitals. The index case infected 37 people at St. Mary's Hospital in Pyeongtaek, some 60 km south of Seoul.

The second wave of epidemic was originally forecast to ease from June 12 , which was the last day of the two-week latent period for the 14th patient. Though the second wave showed calming signs, there were still concerns that potential super spreaders might further appear.

comment: Today is the 27th and either we can all breathe a sigh of relief, including those in Seoul, or anticipate the appearance of another superspreader. Only 3 people really spread this disease?  what if we had a hundred such people?

Medclinician

Medclinician wrote: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/28/south-korea-reports-32nd-mers-death.html South Korea on Sunday reported its 32nd death from MERS as the virus's mortality rate continued to rise even as the pace of the outbreak appeared to slow. A 55-year-old man died Saturday of Middle East Respiratory Disease, the health ministry said, putting the latest mortality rate at 17.5 percent. That is up from 15 percent a week ago and 10 percent two weeks ago, though still lower than World Health Organization figures which put the mortality rate for the disease at around 36 percent. comment: MERS is not over in South Korea although officially some keep downplaying the outbreak. If the mortality rate is increasing either they are counting better or they have a new strain of MERS emerging. Medclinician

http://www.menafn.com/1094239449/South-Korea-reports-9-more-MERS-cases

(MENAFN - Arab News) SEOUL: South Korea on Saturday confirmed nine more cases of the MERS virus which has killed four people but said it did not represent a spread of the outbreak as the infected were already in quarantine.
The additional cases brought the total number of people infected with the virus to 50.
The new cases were part of a group of 1660 quarantined after they came into contact with people infected with the disease prior to the first case being diagnosed on May 20 the health ministry said.

Medclinician