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MERS outbreak reported in Eastern Asia
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WHO reported an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in Eastern Asia, resulting in 64 cases in South Korea and one linked transmission in China.
According to WHO and the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, the index patient was a man aged 68 years returning to South Korea on May 4 from Bahrain via Qatar. He was asymptomatic upon arrival, but developed symptoms on May 11 and was admitted to a hospital the next day.
Although the patient was discharged on May 14, a sputum sample did not confirm the disease until May 20. The patient reported no exposure to known MERS risk factors such as camels or other patients with the infection in the 14 days before detection, although investigation into the source of the infection is ongoing.
Since that time, 63 other cases of MERS in South Korea were linked to the index case, as well as one patient confirmed to have the infection after traveling to China. South Korean and Chinese government agencies have communicated infection risks to the public, increased fever screening in outpatient settings, and are tracing the contacts of known cases. In addition, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has instituted a home quarantine for persons who were in close contact with a MERS patient.
As of June 1, there have been 1,218 confirmed cases of MERS and 449 deaths, according to WHO.