Fears of MERS spreading faster than the actual virus

Posted on : 2015-06-03 16:48 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Many S. Koreans wary of government’s response, worried that following official instructions could actually lead to infection
 June 2. As of the morning of June 3
June 2. As of the morning of June 3

Two people have died and new tertiary infection cases have been discovered from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus. As the spreading epidemic the government once dismissed as a “horror story” becomes a reality, the public’s fears are spreading even faster than the virus itself.

With one weakness after another being discovered in the containment system, many are now accusing the administration of actually feeding the panic.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare‘s MERS headquarters discussed the new developments at a briefing on June 2 at the Central Government Complex in Sejong.

“A 57-year-old woman who had been classified as a suspected MERS patient passed away at around 4 pm on June 1,” it explained. “The woman was subsequently confirmed to have tested positive for MERS.”

“A 71-year-old man with a confirmed infection also passed away at around 11:15 pm the same day. Another six infections were confirmed that day, bringing to total number of patients up to 30 [as of the morning of June 3] from 25 yesterday, including the deceased,” the headquarters added.

 230 schools in Gyeonggi and Chungcheong provinces closed on June 3. (by Kim Seong-gwang
230 schools in Gyeonggi and Chungcheong provinces closed on June 3. (by Kim Seong-gwang

Information about the weakness of the government’s containment system also came to light, with revelations that both of the deceased patients had been hospitalized at the same facility as the first MERS patient, yet escaped public health authorities’ control network early on and were only belatedly isolated. The female patient’s location was not immediately determined, and she was only classified as a suspected MERS case on May 31 before passing away a day later. The male patient left “P” Hospital, where the first confirmed case occurred, and was admitted to two other hospitals before eventually being taken to one with isolated sickbeds.

Two of the six additional confirmed patients on June 2, males aged 73 and 78, were tertiary infection cases who contracted the virus after sharing a hospital room with a secondary infection patient whose diagnosis was confirmed on May 31. The room in question accommodated six patients, suggesting a strong chance that additional tertiary infections will emerge.

The revelation is seen as evidence that public health authorities were hasty in their judgment that the possibility of tertiary infections was “not high.”

“These were medical care-related infections discovered while tracking all individuals with possible MERS infections,” the headquarters explained. “They were not cases of [MERS] emerging in the local community.”

As of June 2, the number of people subject to isolation and observation stood at 755. 573 cases were added the following day, bringing the total to 1,364. The headquarters also made plans to encourage around 100 of them - those over 50 with chronic health conditions - to enter facility isolation. A high-risk group, including pneumonia patients over 50 with diabetes or heart conditions, is slated for special management, including a full inspection in the near future.

In previous announcements, the administration had said that MERS infection required an individual to remain within one meter of a patient for over one hour, and that the virus’s communicability and tertiary infection chances were slight. Now that these announcements are being proven wrong, many South Koreans fear that trusting too much in the administration’s account could get them infected.

Parents of young students in one Seoul neighbourhood recently submitted a petition to their local government asking it to close a nearby hospital where a doctor became infected after the admission of a MERS patient. Some hospitals have taken to posting lists of facilities with MERS patients at their entrances and instructions to inform employees of any visits to those facilities.

In the case of “D” Hospital in Gyeonggi Province, where the first death occurred, principals of 35 nearby elementary schools decided to close them for the three-day period from June 3 to 5. Classes were ended early and students sent home on June 2, with a text message sent to parents advising them that the schools were “closed for MERS prevention.”

 

By Lee Keun-young, senior staff writer and Hong Yong-deok, south Gyeonggi correspondent

 

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

 

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