#10,266
Although the number of new MERS cases remains low (just 1 today), there are fresh concerns that a recent fatal case may have spread the virus to yet another medical facility in Eastern Seoul. Our first stop is an excerpt from an AFP report (via The Manila Times ), then on to our daily MERS update from South Korea.
S. Korea fears MERS may have spread to new hospital
June 27, 2015 3:57 pm
Seoul: South Korea on Saturday said it was closely monitoring a hospital in eastern Seoul over fears that hundreds of people there may have been exposed to the deadly MERS virus.
A 70-year-old woman who caught Middle East Respiratory Syndrome while visiting an infected relative in a different hospital was feared to have spread the virus to the new site.
"We are focusing our efforts in tracing contacts and isolating people who came close to this patient", a senior health ministry official told journalists on Saturday.
The woman died on June 25, two days after she was diagnosed, but due to the virus's 14-day incubation period, anyone she infected may only start showing symptoms in the coming days.
The official said it was too early to say whether the outbreak may be on the wane, given that new cases are expected at the new site.
The patient in question appears to be case #173 who was believed exposed on June 5th, but was only confirmed on June 22nd.
The new case reported overnight is also of concern as it is a nurse at a facility (Gangdong Kyung Hee University Hospital) that has now reported five cases in the past 10 days.
Roughly 100 potentially exposed dialysis patients are in isolation, and given the timing of their possible exposure, the next week will be critical in determining how big this cluster will become.
Looking for some good news in the latest dispatch, the number of deaths has not increased (31), and the number of patients released has increased to 90 (nearly half of the total infected). The number of people in (home) quarantine or hospital isolation has dropped to under 2500.
Homers ( Middle respiratory diseases ) one days Tracking
- the treatment of 61 patients (33.5%), hospital discharge 90 patients (49.5%) died 31 persons (17.0%) diagnosed with total 182 persons
- day of treatment compared to 8 persons decreased , discharge character 9 persons increased , the death toll unchanged , confirmed 1 persons increased
- it is treated 61 patients stable state is 48 persons (78.7%), unstable 13 patients (21.3%).
- Confirmed type of hospital patients 82 patients , families / visit 64 people , hospital workers 35 people
<1> General Status
□ Department of Health and Human Services Homers central management task force is 6.27 at 06 o'clock today , are treating patients with 61 patients (33.5%) in 8 juleotgo people , who discharged nine patients increased total of 90 patients (49.5%) it said hayeotdago increased .
○ deaths is 31 people (17%) had no change in , confirmed the previous day compared to first gun was increased .
○ condition being treated patients 48 were stable and 13 were unstable .
<3> Status Confirmed
□ 1 suggests there was a new diagnosis .
○ 182 -th confirmed the hospital staff worked in Gangdong Kyung ( nurse ) of the Case , the current epidemiological investigation is underway .
