CCTV News:South Korea recently discovered a case of Middle East respiratory syndrome, which is the second confirmed case since the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome in South Korea in 2015. According to the news released by the Korean health department, as of the 10th, 21 people who have had direct contact with the confirmed patients have been quarantined, including family members of patients, taxi drivers, civil aviation crew members and medical staff. In addition, the Korean Department of Disease Management is monitoring more than 400 people who have had indirect contact with patients.
The patient is receiving isolation treatment at Seoul National University Hospital.
It is understood that this man was on a business trip in Kuwait from August 16th to September 6th, during which he developed symptoms such as fever and diarrhea and went to a local hospital for medical treatment. After returning to South Korea on the 7th, the man went directly to the hospital from the airport, and was later diagnosed with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, and is currently receiving isolation treatment at Seoul National University Hospital.
South Korea’s disease management headquarters has raised the early warning level of the Middle East respiratory syndrome epidemic in China, and set up a central epidemic prevention countermeasure headquarters. All flights from Middle East countries to South Korea have also begun to accept stricter quarantine.
Passengers returning from Dubai to South Korea: "Usually, few people wear masks at the airport. Now, seeing many people wearing masks, everyone should still be very worried."
Passengers returning from Japan to South Korea: "Last time (2015), the government’s response was not good enough, so this time I was a little worried, so I put on a mask to prevent it."
On the 9th, South Korean Prime Minister Lee Luoyuan convened an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss countermeasures.
South Korean Prime Minister Lee Luoyuan: "We should take proactive measures as soon as possible. The lessons of 2015 tell us that even overreaction is better than slow response. We should take the failure of that year as a negative teaching material. The early response should be rapid, open and transparent, without any victims, and do our best to reduce people’s concerns. "
Three years ago, the spread of the Korean epidemic caused chaos.
In May 2015, the first patient with Middle East respiratory syndrome appeared in South Korea. In just three weeks, the epidemic spread rapidly in South Korea. Due to the negligence of prevention and control measures and poor information disclosure channels, the early response of the Korean government has been criticized. At that time, more than 2,000 schools were closed, a large number of public activities were cancelled, and tourism was also hit hard. In the end, the epidemic lasted for seven months before it was brought under control, resulting in 187 infections, 38 deaths and nearly 17,000 isolation.
What is Middle East Respiratory Syndrome?
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome is a respiratory disease caused by novel coronavirus, which often presents symptoms such as fever, cough and dyspnea, and severe cases can lead to respiratory failure. The virus was first discovered in Saudi Arabia in 2012, mainly spreading in the Middle East, and outbreaks have also occurred in more than 20 countries in Europe, Asia and America. As of 2017, the world has reported more than 2,100 confirmed cases to the World Health Organization, of which at least 733 people died.
