SEOUL – A South Korean man with terminal lung cancer who had been infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus died on Thursday, South Korea’s health ministry said, in the 10th fatality since the country’s outbreak began last month.
The 65-year-old man, diagnosed with MERS on June 7, had been hospitalized in the same ward as another patient later diagnosed with MERS, the health ministry said in a statement.
Source: www.todayonline.com
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
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.
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.
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
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
Singapore will begin temperature screening at air checkpoints for passengers arriving from South Korea from Tuesday (Jun 9), 7.00pm, as an additional precautionary measure against the MERS virus.
Travellers flying to Singapore from South Korea will also receive health advisories starting from Tuesday, announced the Republic’s Ministry of Health (MOH) in a news release.
Currently, there is temperature screening at air checkpoints for passengers arriving from the Middle East, and travellers arriving from or heading to the Middle East receive health advisories. All hospitals in Singapore stand ready to screen and isolate suspect cases, the ministry added.
Passengers with fever detected at the temperature screening stations will be referred to a designated area for further clinical assessment. A medical practitioner will recheck the traveller’s temperature and ask about his or her travel history, or any history of contact with a MERS patient, and check for symptoms of lung infection or severe respiratory infection with breathlessness.
If the traveller fulfils the criteria for a suspected case of MERS, he or she will be referred to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for further evaluation and tests. Children under the age of 16 will be referred to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
If the passenger does not fulfil the criteria, he or she will receive a surgical mask and a health advisory, and will be placed on phone surveillance until the symptoms resolve. If the traveller’s condition worsens, he or she will be advised to seek medical attention promptly.
The ministry advised Singaporeans to monitor their health closely for two weeks upon returning from a MERS-affected area.
It added that Singaporeans returning from MERS-affected areas need not undergo self-quarantine if they have no symptoms of illness, but they should wear a surgical mask and seek medical help if they come down with fever and cough. They may be isolated for observation and further investigations for up to 48 hours.
South Korea on Tuesday reported its seventh death from the virus and 23 new cases in the largest outbreak outside Saudi Arabia.
Singapore’s Ministry of Education earlier announced that all school trips to South Korea have been postponed or cancelled due to the growing number of reported cases in the country.
“To date, there is no case of MERS-CoV in Singapore, but the possibility of an imported case here cannot be ruled out given today’s globalised travel patterns,” MOH said. It stressed that even if there is an imported case, the risk of an outbreak remains low as sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus has not been reported.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com