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S. Korea reports first two MERS-related deaths

June 1, 2015

A man helps a patient to wear a mask as a precaution against the possible MERS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, virus in front of a facility to examine temporarily quarantined people who could be infected with the MERS virus at Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul, South Korea Monday, June 1, 2015. More than 680 people in South Korea are isolated after having contact with patients infected with the virus that has killed hundreds of people in the Middle East, health officials said Monday.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

SEOUL/SEJONG, June 2 (Yonhap) — South Korea reported the country’s first two deaths from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) on Tuesday, saying a suspected patient was confirmed to have the virus after death and another confirmed patient died.

The health ministry also reported six new cases of the viral disease, bringing the total to 25. The new cases included the country’s first tertiary infections as two people were found to have contracted the virus from a secondarily infected patient.

All the other cases stemmed from South Korea’s first MERS patient, who came back from a trip to the Middle East.

One of the two deaths involved a 58-year-old female patient who came in close contact with the first patient. She had been listed as a suspected case until she died on Monday. Tests later showed that she was infected with the virus, officials said.

She was first admitted to a hospital on May 11 for difficulty breathing from asthma. She is believed to have had contact with the first patient at the hospital between May 15 and 17, and her condition deteriorated, officials said.

The second death was a 71-year-old man who has been listed as the sixth MERS patient. He was first admitted to the hospital on May 15 and came in close contact with the first patient between May 15-17 before he was confirmed to have the virus on May 28.

The identities of the patients were all withheld for privacy reasons.

Health and Welfare Ministry officials expressed concerns over the possibility of a groundless fear spreading faster than the disease.

They noted the two patients had serious medical conditions even before they caught the virus though MERS may have worsened their conditions.

However, the confirmed tertiary transmission of the disease may warrant serious concerns as it now makes all 25 people who have been diagnosed with the disease a carrier.

Previously, the government had only isolated some 70 people who had come in close contact with the first patient, maintaining that no tertiary transmission of the disease had ever been reported throughout the world.

The government changed its stance following a public demand for aggressive and precautionary measures.

As of Monday morning, 682 people who have ever come in close contact with any of the patients were in isolation at state-designated facilities or their homes.

The number is set to grow as it will include those who have ever come in contact with the six new patients diagnosed.

MERS is a viral respiratory illness that is new to humans, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There had been only 1,142 reported cases in 23 countries since the first case was confirmed in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

Most people infected with MERS develop severe acute respiratory illness, including a fever, a cough and shortness of breath. There currently is no vaccine or treatment for the disease that has a very high fatality rate of over 40 percent.