The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to support the Republic of Korea in responding to an imported case of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
The Organization has been working with the country to support contact tracing, public communication and information-sharing under the International Health Regulations (2005).
The case is a 61-year-old Korean man who had returned to the Republic of Korea on 7 September following a business trip to Kuwait. Upon arrival, he contacted a doctor who, based on the patient’s symptoms and travel history, suspected MERS. Infection control and isolation measures were immediately put in place. On 8 September, the case was laboratory confirmed as MERS. That same day, the country officially notified WHO.
The country’s response to the case continues. More than 400 individuals who may have come into contact with the patient have been identified and are being monitored for possible symptoms. Twenty-one close contacts are under active monitoring in home quarantine. The Emergency Operations Centre at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been activated to coordinate the response, actively sharing information with the public as well as with WHO and other Member States.
“We are pleased with the Republic of Korea’s response to date, especially their rapid detection of the case and their timely information-sharing,” said Dr Li Ailan, WHO Regional Emergency Director for the Western Pacific. “However, the response is still ongoing. We must maintain our vigilance. WHO will continue to facilitate collaboration among countries and to support the response.”
Investigations are ongoing in Kuwait to determine where the Korean patient may have been exposed to the virus and with whom he came into contact during his travels. WHO is facilitating information-sharing between the countries.
Based on lessons learned during the outbreak of MERS in 2015, the Republic of Korea has invested heavily in strengthening country capacity to detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases. This includes efforts to strengthen event-based surveillance, risk assessment, risk communication, the country’s Field Epidemiology Training Programme and the national public health Emergency Operations Centre. Awareness of MERS among Korean health workers and the general public is high, which facilitated the prompt detection of the case.
WHO advises that the level of risk to members of the general public in the Republic of Korea is low unless they are in close, unprotected contact with a patient infected with MERS. People should avoid close contact with anyone with respiratory symptoms (e.g. coughing, shortness of breath), wash their hands regularly with soap and water, maintain good personal hygiene, and follow the advice of their national health authority.
The Organization has been working with the country to support contact tracing, public communication and information-sharing under the International Health Regulations (2005).
The case is a 61-year-old Korean man who had returned to the Republic of Korea on 7 September following a business trip to Kuwait. Upon arrival, he contacted a doctor who, based on the patient’s symptoms and travel history, suspected MERS. Infection control and isolation measures were immediately put in place. On 8 September, the case was laboratory confirmed as MERS. That same day, the country officially notified WHO.
The country’s response to the case continues. More than 400 individuals who may have come into contact with the patient have been identified and are being monitored for possible symptoms. Twenty-one close contacts are under active monitoring in home quarantine. The Emergency Operations Centre at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been activated to coordinate the response, actively sharing information with the public as well as with WHO and other Member States.
“We are pleased with the Republic of Korea’s response to date, especially their rapid detection of the case and their timely information-sharing,” said Dr Li Ailan, WHO Regional Emergency Director for the Western Pacific. “However, the response is still ongoing. We must maintain our vigilance. WHO will continue to facilitate collaboration among countries and to support the response.”
Investigations are ongoing in Kuwait to determine where the Korean patient may have been exposed to the virus and with whom he came into contact during his travels. WHO is facilitating information-sharing between the countries.
Based on lessons learned during the outbreak of MERS in 2015, the Republic of Korea has invested heavily in strengthening country capacity to detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases. This includes efforts to strengthen event-based surveillance, risk assessment, risk communication, the country’s Field Epidemiology Training Programme and the national public health Emergency Operations Centre. Awareness of MERS among Korean health workers and the general public is high, which facilitated the prompt detection of the case.
WHO advises that the level of risk to members of the general public in the Republic of Korea is low unless they are in close, unprotected contact with a patient infected with MERS. People should avoid close contact with anyone with respiratory symptoms (e.g. coughing, shortness of breath), wash their hands regularly with soap and water, maintain good personal hygiene, and follow the advice of their national health authority.