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Roundup: S.Korea's MERS outbreak to take longer than expected: WHO chief

Xinhua, June 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

The outbreak of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea is expected to be stopped, but it could take longer than expected, chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan told reporters in Seoul that "this outbreak can be stopped though it may take longer than anyone would want."

Chan said the South Korean government "admitted a slow start in the early stage of the outbreak," but she noted that the government "is now on a very firm footing."

Three more MERS cases were added here on Thursday, bringing the total infection to 165 since the first case was discovered on May 20. The health ministry expected the viral disease crisis to end before July.

South Korean public health experts, however, forecast the MERS crisis would continue next month due to sporadic contagions though no massive infection in the community may happen.

Lee Jong-koo, professor of Seoul National University College of Medicine, told lawmakers Thursday that the MERS would end at least several weeks after the current pattern of sporadic contagions are stopped.

Lee co-led the WHO-South Korea joint mission's epidemiological study of the MERS outbreak here for five-days through last Saturday.

Cheong Hae-kwan, professor of Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine and a member of the joint mission, told lawmakers that it would be difficult to see the MERS outbreak end here within this month and that it would be very successful to see the crisis stopped within next month.

The WHO chief said that "no genetic changes" have been detected in the MERS virus found in South Korea. Mutation in the corona virus can make it easier for the virus to transmit between humans.

Chan said that risks to the general public would be low "as long as transmission is occurring in a confined setting" such as hospitals, noting that though the virus "spills over into the general community," it would not likely lead to a sustained transmission.

The WHO held a meeting of the emergency committee under the international health regulations (IHR), issuing a statement Wednesday about South Korea's MERS outbreak.

The statement picked five major factors contributing to the fast spread of the MERS in South Korea, including lack of awareness among health care workers and the general public.

Chan stressed the importance of a transparent disclosure of information to the public as public support would be needed to contain the outbreak.

Also included were the practice of seeking care at multiple hospitals, called "doctor shopping" and the custom of many visitors or family members staying with infected patients in hospital rooms facilitating the secondary spread of contagion. Endi