S Korea reports 11th death from MERS outbreak
14 Jun 2015 4:07 AM IST
South Korea on Friday reported its 11th death from the MERS virus outbreak, but officials said they are seeing a fewer number of new infections and that it was unlikely there would be another large outbreak.
More than 120 people in South Korea have contracted Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) since the country reported its first case last month. The outbreak has been contained only in hospitals but it has caused widespread fears and rumours, and about 2,790 schools and kindergartens remained closed till today.
South Korean officials believe the disease has peaked and it would begin to ease in coming days. Their belief is based on a view that the virus’ maximum two-week incubation period for those infected at a Seoul hospital considered as the main source of the outbreak ended on Friday.
There are few other hospitals where additional cases were later reported. Their patients’ incubation periods have not ended, but officials said they are quarantining people who had contacts with infected people and monitoring them so that there is little chance of the virus spreading from those hospitals.
“We see no danger of an additional spread,” Jeong Eun-<g data-gr-id="20">kyeong</g>, a senior official from the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told a televised news conference.
She said only a small number of new infections could still be reported from those hospitals. Some experts have said the outbreak could continue if there are a large number of infected people who evaded government quarantine measures and spread the virus.
The Health Ministry today reported just four new MERS cases, after registering 14 cases yesterday and 13 cases on Wednesday. About 3,680 people were still isolated today after possible contacts with infected people, a decline from more than 3,800 on Thursday, according to the ministry.
WHO to hold MERS emergency meeting soon
The World Health Organisation said today it would soon call an emergency meeting on the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) as the death toll from the virus rises in South Korea.
WHO’s “emergency committee will meet soon” to discuss the crisis, spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva, without specifying a date. He stressed that “the number of new cases is decreasing,” but warned: “we have to monitor the situation.” The committee will determine whether the current outbreak “constitutes a global health emergency crisis,” he said.
MERS symptoms range from flu-like aches and pains to pneumonia and kidney failure.
Next Story
