HEALTH-MERS/SOUTH KOREA-NEWSER South Korea reports first two deaths from MERS respiratory illness

Record ID: 149983

  • Title: HEALTH-MERS/SOUTH KOREA-NEWSER South Korea reports first two deaths from MERS respiratory illness
  • Date: 2nd June 2015
  • Summary: SEJONG, SOUTH KOREA (JUNE 2, 2015) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** JOURNALISTS SITTING AT NEWS BRIEFING SOUTH KOREAN DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY AT MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND WELFARE, KWON JUN-WOOK, AND, CHAIR OF KOREAN SOCIETY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, KIM WOO-JOO, WALKING INTO NEWS BRIEFING ROOM JOURNALISTS TYPING AND CAMERAMEN FILMING AT NEWS BRIEFING
  • Embargoed: 17th June 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA7YXVTQ0O342YZIO0GNVIDY3DA
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: South Korea on Tuesday (June 2) reported its first two deaths from an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) that has infected 25 people in two weeks, as public alarm grew and officials scrambled to contain the outbreak.
    South Korean Health Ministry official Kwon Jun-wook confirmed the deaths at a news briefing in Sejong.
    "First of all, two people died from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The first deceased is a 58 year-old female. She was in contact with the first patient from 15 to 17 May," said South Korean Health Ministry official Kwon Jun-wook at a news briefing.
    A 58-year-old woman, who had contact with South Korea's first patient, died of acute respiratory failure on Monday (June 1), the Health Ministry said. A 71-year-old man who had been on respiratory support with a history of kidney ailments also died.
    The World Health Organisation (WHO) puts the total number of cases globally at 1,154, with at least 434 related deaths.
    South Korea has isolated more than 700 people for possible MERS infection, which is caused by a coronavirus from the same family as the one that triggered the deadly 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), but MERS has a much higher death rate than SARS and there is no cure or vaccine.
    The head of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases Kim Woo-joo said MERS was less contagious than SARS.
    "If we look through the records up until now, we know that MERS has a relatively low level of infectiousness compared to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)," said Kim.
    The death rate from MERS, first identified in humans in 2012, has been 38 percent, according to WHO figures, with older patients and those with existing respiratory and renal ailments at greater risk, a South Korean doctor has said.
    By comparison, the death rate from SARS was 9 to 12 percent, rising above 50 percent for patients over 65, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
    South Korea's health ministry reported seven new cases on Tuesday, including the woman who died, bringing the total number of cases to 25. South Korea now has the third highest number of cases after Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
    The WHO has so far not recommended travel or trade restrictions for South Korea.
    However, South Korean border control authorities have issued a ban on overseas travel for people isolated for possible infection, a health ministry official said.
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