Korean MERS outbreak total spikes to 87
Lisa Schnirring
CIDRAP News
Jun 08, 2015
The number of cases in South Korea’s hospital-linked MERS-CoV outbreak more than doubled over the weekend and into today, with 87 infections reported so far, with many of the newest cases representing third-tier illnesses detected at additional hospitals.
South Korea reported 9 new cases of MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) on Saturday, 14 on Sunday, and 23 new cases today, according to official sources and media reports. Though the number of tertiary cases is growing quickly and is concerning to health officials, they say there is still no sign of sustained human-to-human transmission in the community, which would signal a much more serious disease threat.
Also, two more deaths were reported, lifting the fatality count to six, as South Korea’s health ministry revealed the names of 6 hospitals were multiple cases have been reported, along with 18 other facilities that had some type of contact with a MERS patient.
Details on the 46 new cases
The 9 MERS-CoV cases reported on Jun 6 included 5 from Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, where an infection in a doctor was recently found, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Three other infections were in patients and staff at St Mary’s Hospital in Pyeongtaek, a facility about 40 miles south of Seoul where the outbreak’s index patient was treated. His infection in mid-May led to the first round of illnesses among his hospital roommates, family members, those who were on the same ward, and healthcare workers. Some of the patients who were infected at St Mary’s were admitted to other hospitals, a situation that led to other illnesses.
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