WHO - Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Republic of Korea - June 1, 2015

[Commonground]

June 1, 2015 On 31 May 2015, the National IHR Focal Point of the Republic of Korea notified WHO of 2 additional confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
Details of the cases are as follows:

• The case is a 35-year-old male who developed symptoms of cough, sputum and fever on 6 May and was admitted to hospital on 13 May. The patient has been on Tuberculosis medication since his son was diagnosed with the bacterial disease in April. Between 15 and 17, he shared the same ward with the first case during his hospitalization from 15 to 17 May. On 20 May, after his discharge, the patient visited two different hospitals due to fever and was put on antibiotics. As symptoms persisted despite antibiotic therapy, he was admitted to a hospital again on 27 May and confirmed positive for MERS-CoV on 29 May.
• The case is a 35 year-old male whose mother shared the same ward with the first case. From 15 to 21 May, the patient visited his mother every day at the hospital. He developed symptoms and visited an emergency room on 24 May. The patient was admitted to hospital between 25 and 27 May and confirmed positive for MERS-CoV on 30 May.

Contact tracing of household contacts and healthcare contacts is ongoing for the cases.
Globally, WHO has been notified of 1154 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 431 related deaths. *
Continued: http://www.who.int/csr/don/01-june-2015-mers-korea/en/