2,900 people in quarantine as SK faces ‘crucial period’ in MERS fight
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HONG Kong yesterday issued a “red alert” advisory against non-essential travel to South Korea, where eight new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome were reported, taking the total to 95 with seven fatalities.
The number of new cases was a sharp drop from the 23 reported in South Korea on Monday, but the number of schools closed grew to 2,208, including 20 universities.
“At this stage, to issue a clear message is something the Hong Kong government thinks is necessary,” the city’s No. 2 official, Carrie Lam, told reporters just before the travel warning was posted.
A red alert, the second-highest outbound travel advisory on a three-point scale, is defined as a “significant threat” according to the Hong Kong government, and means people should “adjust travel plans” and “avoid non-essential travel.”
Seoul rejected the move, arguing that the World Health Organization had not recommended any such measures.
The South Korean government — concerned about the economic impact — said it hopes to end the crisis this week.
The virus has caused widespread public anxiety and led to a plunge in cinema ticket sales and dwindling attendance at baseball games and other public events.
“Public concerns are rising over the negative impact of the MERS outbreak on our economy and society,” acting Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said during a meeting with top health officials.
“So we have decided to ... launch an active, all-out response with the goal of ending the MERS crisis within this week,” said Choi, who is also the country’s finance minister.
The latest fatality was a 68-year-old woman who was infected by a MERS patient at a hospital in Seoul.
All of the infections so far have been restricted to hospitals, and the ministry stressed that the seven people who died all had pre-existing health problems.
The virus is considered a deadlier but less infectious cousin of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which killed hundreds of people when it appeared in Asia in 2003.
There is no vaccine or cure for MERS, which according to WHO data has a fatality rate of about 35 percent.
“People might be concerned, but I hope they will not overreact and cooperate to ensure that economic activities will not be weakened,” President Park Geun-hye told a Cabinet meeting.
The outbreak has hit the tourist industry, with more than 45,000 scheduled visitors — mostly Chinese — canceling trips to South Korea in the first week of this month, the Korea Tourism Board said.
The Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong has canceled all tours to South Korea that were scheduled to set off between now and June 30, excluding cruises, with 10,000 to 12,000 travelers to be affected, the city’s public broadcaster reported.
In Macau, authorities now require all people entering local health care facilities to wear face masks as a precaution against MERS and have advised residents to avoid travel to South Korea unless it is absolutely necessary.
Taiwan’s health authorities issued a travel alert to cover all of South Korea late yesterday, widening its caution on travel to the country.
The alert issued by Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control also recommended that Taiwan people avoid medical institutions when traveling in South Korea.
Xiu Xin, a Chinese tourist in Seoul, said he had decided to go ahead with his trip despite the health scare.
“I’d heard about the virus and was a little worried. But after I got here, it wasn’t so scary,” he said.
“I’m just wearing this to feel better,” he said, pointing to his surgical mask.
The eight new cases reported yesterday were well down on the 23 fresh infections announced on Monday, but experts said it was premature to talk about a declining trend.
“This week will be a crucial period,” the health ministry said, adding that three people had been discharged from hospital after recovering from the disease.
About 2,900 people are in quarantine — most of them in their own homes, it said.
WHO scientist Peter Ben Embarek said that although the infections have thus far been limited to hospitals, the disease could spread because of the large number of “contacts” with infected people.
“We will not be surprised if we see a few cases coming up from the community,” he said.
Questions have also been raised over the World Student Games, which are due to be held in the South Korean city of Gwangju next month.
The event’s medical team said preparations were proceeding normally.
“The MERS outbreak, which has been quite limited, will not have any effect on the Games,” the team’s statement said.
Nam Kyung-pil, governor of Gyeonggi province, which surrounds Gwangju, said 32 of its large general hospitals have joined the campaign to fight the outbreak by offering to take in anyone who is showing MERS symptoms.
“We are fighting two wars: The war against the disease and the war against fear,” Nam said.
The head of the Korean Hospital Association criticized the Seoul government for its poor communication.
“The hospitals that did not receive information on patients have been wounded deeply,” Park Sang-geun said during an open meeting.
It was only on Sunday that officials released the names of all the health facilities where MERS victims had been treated or visited, which now number 35.
The WHO began work on a joint mission with South Korean doctors and officials to review the country’s response and analyze the virus.
Park has called for an all-out effort to eradicate the outbreak, which has been spreading since a 68-year-old businessman brought it home from a Middle East trip last month.
All subsequent infections in South Korea have occurred in health care facilities and been traced to the original patient.
South Korea has the second highest number of infections, after Saudi Arabia, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
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