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South Korea: 14 New MERS Cases Reported

SEOUL: South Korea’s Health Ministry on Thursday reported 14 new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), taking the total to 122 in an outbreak that is the largest outside Saudi Arabia.

Among the newly reported cases was a pregnant woman who contracted the virus at the emergency ward of a Seoul hospital that has been linked to a number of other confirmed cases, the ministry said. She was reported to be in stable condition.

The woman’s parents had also previously tested positive to MERS, the ministry said. The woman was reported to be in stable condition.

MERS OUTBREAK DELAYS PARK’S US TRIP

The spread of the disease has stirred up public fear and confusion, prompting President Park Geun-hye to postpone a visit to the United States, while health officials have been criticized over a lack of transparency and for failing to swiftly contain the spread.

On Wednesday, the ministry reported two deaths from the MERS virus, bringing the number of fatalities to nine. All of those who died had been suffering serious ailments before they tested positive for the MERS virus, the ministry said.

The outbreak, the largest outside Saudi Arabia, has fuelled public anxiety and hit spending, with thousands in quarantine and the number of schools closing rising to 2,474, including 22 universities.

A joint South Korean-World Health Organization mission (WHO) on Wednesday recommended that schools be reopened as they were unlikely to spread the disease, just as school boards recommended more be shut.

“Schools have not been linked to transmission of (the virus) in the Republic of Korea or elsewhere,” the mission said in a statement.

TRAVELLERS AVOID AIRPORT DUE TO MERS SCARE

Airplanes, taxis and subways in South Korea are being disinfected to prevent the spread of MERS and protect passengers from transmission, as people avoided public transport in response to the outbreak of MERS.

Seoul Metro, city-owned subway company, said on average 4,600,000 people take the subway daily but only about two million people took a subway on Sunday (Jun 7).

Some countries around the region have issued advisories against travel to South Korea or stepped up screening of inbound passengers, dealing a setback to a tourism sector that had been a bright spot for the flagging South Korean economy.

The main Incheon airport said the number of passenger arrivals was down sharply on Monday (Jun 8) and Tuesday.

First identified in humans in 2012, MERS is caused by a coronavirus from the same family as the one that triggered China’s deadly 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). There is no cure or vaccine.

South Korea’s new cases bring the total number of MERS cases globally to 1,271 based on WHO data, with at least 448 related deaths. The country has the second highest number of cases after Saudi Arabia, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

South Korea’s infections have all been traced to a man who developed MERS after returning from a trip to the Middle East in early May, and who came into contact with other patients at a hospital before being diagnosed.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

June 11, 2015
AHPETC: No Managing Agent Has Submitted Bid

The Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) will not have a Managing Agent from July, as no one has come forward to submit a bid, said chairman Sylvia Lim in an open letter to residents published in the June edition of the Good Neighbours newsletter.

“Come July 2015, we will be embarking on direct management of the TC, as no MA (Managing Agent) has submitted a bid to work for AHPETC. We will do our best to keep costs down and protect AHPETC’s long-term financial interests,” she wrote.

She added that the Workers’ Party-run town council would continue to serve residents to the best of its ability despite the “challenging political climate”.

Ms Lim said the three-page letter aimed to clarify any misconceptions that may have arisen, as well as to update residents on matters concerning the management of the town council.

Earlier this year, a report by the Auditor-General’s Office pointed out serious lapses in the town council’s books. This sparked a two-day debate in Parliament.

Among the lapses identified was a failure to manage conflict of interest when it came to transactions involving its Managing Agent FM Solutions & Services (FMSS). Its owners were also senior party officers.

In the letter to residents, Ms Lim said AHPETC had not given contracts to friends, and that public tenders had been called in 2012.

“AHPETC does not and cannot reserve contracts for friends in a public tender,” she said, adding that a tender was not called for MA services only in the one-year period from July 2011 to July 2012.

The then newly-elected MPs had decided to award FMSS a one-year provisional contract – to ensure a smooth takeover of town management and avoid any disruptions in services to residents.

The town council is also said to have overpaid FMSS by an estimated S$1.6 million a year, over a four-year period.

But Ms Lim said what AHPETC pays its Managing Agent cannot be compared to the “weighted average” of rates that all other town councils pay.

She pointed to tables detailing the rates for residential and commercial units between 2011 and 2014, saying that there is “a lot of variation” in rates among the town councils – which reflect the different geography and requirements of each town. This, in turn, affects how they are managed.

Ms Lim added that this, and later contracts involving FMSS, were fairly priced and based on “strict reasoning” using available market information.

In wrapping up her letter, Ms Lim told residents that since the AGO report, AHPETC has made some improvements, and hired external accountants to help clean up its accounts as well as to further strengthen processes and controls.

“The work is making progress and certain financial issues will take time to resolve. AHPETC is also working towards filing its audited accounts by the deadlines set by the Ministry of National Development (MND),” she said.

MND is currently appealing a High Court decision not to appoint independent accountants to safeguard Government grants to the town council. The court did also point out that grave and serious questions had been raised about the state of the town council’s accounts.

The ministry said there is an urgent need for independent accountants to be appointed with powers of inquiry and recovery, given the “serious questions” raised about payments AHPETC had made to related parties — a reference to the town council’s managing agent firms.

The case is likely to be heard on Aug 3.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

June 11, 2015
One Of Four Patients In Hong Kong Tested Negative For MERS

One of four patients admitted to hospital suspected of carrying Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) has tested negative for the virus, hospital officials announced on Thursday.

It was unclear whether the three remaining patients had also tested negative, with the hospital authority only saying that no confirmed case had been found so far. The authority confirmed the 22-year-old woman who sought treatment at a clinic operated by the Quality HealthCare group in the Tsing Yi MTR station had tested negative.

The suspected cases, picked up at the city’s health centres, marked the first time the wider community may have been exposed to the deadly virus.

All four fell ill after visiting South Korea, where an outbreak has killed nine people and infected 108.

Until now, all of the suspected Mers cases in Hong Kong were intercepted during temperature checks at the airport.

From noon on Tuesday to noon on Wednesday, more than 30 suspected cases were reported, but about half initially tested negative for Mers.

Our experts have assessed that the risk of importing cases [to mainland China] has increased significantly

MAO QUNAN, CHINESE OFFICIAL

The cases within the community – which followed a tightening in the reporting regime – came as Chinese health authorities warned that mainland China was facing a heightened risk of the virus.

In the first Hong Kong case on Wednesday, the 22-year-old woman who has since tested negative was rushed to Princess Margaret Hospital after seeking treatment at a clinic operated by the Quality HealthCare group in the Tsing Yi MTR station. The woman showed signs of fever and a running nose after visiting Seoul between May 23 and 27. She did not show any symptoms until she had been back in the city for almost two weeks.

READ MORE: What Mers is, how it spreads and how to avoid it

Three other suspected cases were reported at other Quality HealthCare medical centres on the same day. One was a young woman who visited Seoul between May 26 and 30, and sought treatment for fever and diarrhoea at the centre in Prince’s Building in Central.

Another young woman, who was in South Korea last Friday and Saturday, had a fever and a running nose after the trip. She went to the group’s clinic in Pacific Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui, and was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The fourth suspected case, a middle-aged woman, visited the centre’s clinic in Tung Chung with a fever after returning from South Korea on Monday.

Watch: New Mers deaths in South Korea brings the total to nine

Despite concerns about community exposure to the virus, infectious disease experts said there was no increased risk facing the city as people were more aware of precautionary measures.

However, the initial scare spooked the stock market. The benchmark Hang Seng Index had dropped 228 points, or 0.85 per cent, by 3.05pm, with heavy selling starting at about 2.30pm when the news of the first suspected case broke.

On mainland China, Mao Qunan, a spokesman of the National Health and Family Planning Commission in Beijing, said the country’s risk of having imported Mers cases had increased.

Health officials in protective clothing investigate at the Tsing Yi clinic. Photo: Sam Tsang

“Because our country has relatively frequent contact with people from South Korea and the Middle East, and especially now that South Korea has an outbreak, our experts have assessed that the risk of importing cases has increased significantly,” he said.

The commission said on its official microblog that a Chinese citizen working at a South Korean hospital was confirmed to be infected with Mers.

But Mao sidestepped the issue of whether Beijing would follow decisions by Taipei, Hong Kong and Macau to issue travel warnings against South Korea.

The Tsing Yi clinic was closed as health officials investigated. Photo: Sam Tsang

“Whether we are going to issue any ban or warning over travelling, it’s something we need to discuss with members of our tourism department,” he said.

A 44-year-old man, who is the son of a confirmed Mers patient in South Korea, is being treated in a hospital in Huizhou in southern Guangdong province. The man travelled to Huizhou late last month via Hong Kong.

The Southern Metropolis News reported that all 75 people who had come into close contact with the 44-year-old after he entered mainland China were about to finish their 14 days of quarantine after testing negative for the virus.

Additional reporting by Associated Press

Source: www.scmp.com

June 11, 2015
MERS Outbreak: SIA To Waive Cancellation Fees For Flights To Seoul

In light of the MERS outbreak in South Korea, flagship carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) will waive cancellation fees and administration fees for refund, rebooking or re-routing for customers holding confirmed tickets to and from Seoul’s Incheon Airport, it announced on its website on Wednesday (Jun 10).

In a sales circular, Singapore Airlines said the waiver is valid for all commercial Singapore Airlines fare tickets issued on or before Jun 9, for travel on flights to and from Seoul up until Jun 28 (inclusive).

Low-cost carrier Scoot, which is owned by SIA, will also allow customers travelling on specific dates to rebook their travel dates free of charge. “Guests with bookings made on or before June 3 for travel to Incheon up to June 15 (inclusive) have the option to rebook either to another Scoot destination or another travel date. The change fee will be waived but the fare difference will apply,” a spokesperson said.

In a notice on its website on Tuesday, Cathay Pacific, which runs daily flights from Singapore to Seoul, said it would not waive cancellation fees for flights to South Korea, or offer refunds.

However, it would waive rebooking and re-routing charges for all passengers travelling to and from Seoul, Busan and Jeju, with tickets issued on or before Jun 8, regardless of fare type. This applies to confirmed bookings with Cathay Pacific and Dragonair, for travel between Jun 9 and Aug 31, Cathay Pacific stated.

Rebooking and re-routing charges will be waived if requests are made on or before Jun 19, the airline said. Revised travel dates must be on or before Oct 31, and subject to flight availability, Cathay Pacific added.

Korean Air has stated on a MERS advisory on its website that a refund or date change penalty may be charged in accordance to a passenger’s ticket.

South Korea on Wednesday reported two more deaths due to MERS, and 13 more cases.

Singapore’s Government has not issued an advisory against travel to South Korea, but on Tuesday announced temperature screening measures for passengers arriving from South Korea at its airports.

SINGAPOREANS CALL OFF TRIPS

Ms Rachel Fong was among the few who decided to cancel their trips following news of the MERS outbreak in South Korea. The 22-year-old undergraduate had been planning to head to Seoul to catch a music festival and celebrate her birthday with her friends.

“We actually decided to change our plans quite late because we were kind of hoping that the MERS situation wouldn’t be this severe,” she said. “But when it got to this, such a stage, we decided, my parents decided that it’s too risky for me to go.

“Even though there was no travel advisory issued, MOE (Ministry of Education) did decide that schools had to cancel and postpone their trips to Korea. So that indicates how severe the situation is and my parents were not going to take that risk,” she added.

Mr Huang Ban Chin also called off his work trip to South Korea.

The Chief Operating Officer of a wellness company in Singapore, which specialises in direct selling of skincare and wellness products, was supposed to go on a site visit, as the firm has an office comprising seven South Korean staff in Seoul.

Mr Huang said he is also adopting a wait-and-see attitude for another upcoming trip to Shanghai, China, which reported its first case of MERS two weeks ago.

“I think the real concern at this point of time is not so much about whether we will be inflicted with the disease or not, but it’s really about the inconvenience if things escalate and coming back would be a hassle,” he said. “We would be subjected to quarantine.”

Travel agency Dynasty Travel said less than a hundred of its customers have cancelled or changed their trips to South Korea. However, it noted that June is not the peak season for travel to the country, as holidaymakers prefer to visit during the year-end winter season.

“We have about 20 per cent who have opted to cancel, or deviate to other destinations such as Taiwan, Japan and Australia,” said the director of marketing communications Ms Alicia Seah.

“Travel agents are middle men, we act on behalf of airlines, hotels, transportation overseas, so cancellation fees are not within our control and at this juncture in time, with no travel advisories nor travel bans against visiting Korea, we will have to impose cancellation fees accordingly.”

TRAVEL AGENCIES TAKE PRECAUTIONS

For those who are still travelling to South Korea, travel agencies like Chan Brothers Travel said precautions are in place. The agency has about one tour group a day flying to South Korea this month.

“We acted immediately,” said the senior manager of customer service Reshel Chan. “We went to buy masks to pass to our tour leaders, and also wet wipes. During the courtesy call, when we have to call our customers – a reminder call before departure – we will also tell the customers that they can bring along sanitiser and during the trip, before every single meal, we remind our customers to wash their hands.”

“We have been constantly contacting our tour leaders and also our tour guides to ensure everything is in order. We message them to have hourly updates on what’s going on, how the situation is,” added Ms Chan.

Two local tour operators who handle groups from South Korea told Channel NewsAsia that some organisations – including corporate groups and schools – have cancelled their travel plans to Singapore.

One said about a hundred people, or about 20 per cent of its customers, have cancelled their trips. They, however, also noted that this is not the peak season for travel in Korea as the summer holidays begin in July.

MOE had recently said all school trips to South Korea have been postponed or cancelled. Students who went on trips to South Korea have also all returned.

MOE added that all schools are currently equipped to manage an acute outbreak and will be further supplemented should the situation require it. Standard procedures and measures include temperature taking and contact tracing, as well as closure of schools and home-based learning.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

June 11, 2015
Kindergarten Teacher Staples Boy’s Ear

Ouch, that’s got to hurt.

A kindergarten teacher in Fujian province, China, has been suspended after sending her four-year-old student home on Monday (June 8) with a new piercing — a staple in his ear.

Media reports did not state why the teacher had done so.

The child’s mother posted images of his swollen ear on Weibo.

She had found the staple while giving him a bath. That’s when he began crying in pain.

PHOTO: WEIBO.COM/ KEVINCKCK

When the parent asked what happened, the boy said his teacher used a stapler to pierce his ears during noon break.

The teacher, surnamed Lan, taught at Jiangle County Art Kindergarten in Sanming, southeastern China.

The county education bureau confirmed the incident.

According to NetEase News, the teacher is now under police investigation for professional misconduct.

Meanwhile, kindergarten and education bureau representatives have paid home visits to the boy’s family to offer apologies and express their sympathies.

Source: www.tnp.sg

June 11, 2015