South Korea reported three more cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome Sunday, bringing the total number of people diagnosed with the disease here to 169.
The new cases, including a medical doctor from Seoul’s Samsung Medical Center, came from those who have already been suspected of infection for coming in close contact with MERS patients, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
The ministry maintains no community transmission of the disease has occurred here with nearly all transmissions taking place in hospitals.
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Some 90 hospitals, including the Samsung hospital, have been identified as sources of infection. The list of MERS-affected hospitals is daily updated and is available at the ministry’s Web site.
As of Sunday, the number of people in isolation for suspected cases came to 4,035, down from 5,197 on the previous day. So far, some 8,800 people have been released from isolation after they showed no symptoms of MERS for more than the known maximum incubation period of 14 days for the disease.
Currently, the country’s death toll from the disease remains at 25 with the latest fatality confirmed late Saturday.
The latest MERS-related death involved a 63-year-old male who had existing health conditions, including diabetes and a heart disease.
The health ministry earlier said over 90 percent of all fatalities here involved people of old age or those with existing health problems that are apparently worsened by MERS.
Out of the 169 people diagnosed so far, 43 have been discharged from the hospital following complete recoveries as of Sunday, according to the ministry. The number increased by seven from the day before.
MERS is a viral respiratory disease that was first found in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Until the country confirmed an outbreak here on May 20, only about 1,100 cases had been reported in some 20 countries throughout the world, while the fatality rate of the disease had been tallied at over 40 percent.
In South Korea, the fatality rate currently remained at less than 15 percent.
The ministry said it has started drawing out a set of criteria in declaring a formal end to the MERS outbreak in the country, in a sign of the health authorities cautiously turning the tide over the disease.
“It is still too early to discuss the end of MERS given its sporadic outbreak, but we have started discussing (the issue),” said an official at the ministry.
Earlier, the ministry said the country could announce the end of MERS if at least the virus’s incubation period of 14 days passes or two of these periods go by without any new cases.
In a meeting with health officials in Seoul, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said the number of new confirmed cases is showing signs of a letup, but there are still risk factors lying ahead.
“Public servants, medical staff and others are going all-out to end the MERS outbreak, but there are still lots of things to be done,” Hwang said. “This week is the critical period for us, and we have to stay alert until we declare that the MERS outbreak is over.”
The prime minister also said that finance ministry and other related government agencies should review measures aimed at helping MERS-hit industries recover, thus minimizing any impact from MERS on the economy as a whole.
The ministry said Samsung Medical Hospital in southern Seoul will lift its voluntary shutdown on Thursday as scheduled. Samsung Medical Hospital, one of the country’s largest general hospitals, has voluntarily shut down most of its operations after nearly half of all transmissions occurred at the hospital.
Meanwhile, a group of U.S. health authorities will visit South Korea this week to consult with their counterparts here over technical cooperation to help prevent MERS from further spreading.
“The delegation from Centers for Disease Control will hold a series of meetings with health ministry officials and also visit MERS-affected hospitals,” the ministry said.
The government also said it will provide financial support to those who face hardship even after being released from isolation. (Yonhap)
