Between 27 and 30 June 2015, the National IHR Focal Point of the Republic of Korea notified WHO of 1 additional confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) alongside 2 additional deaths.

South Korea (in orange)/ Aridd at the wikipedia project
South Korea (in orange)/ Aridd at the wikipedia project

Additional information on the outbreak in Korea

To date, a total of 182 MERS-CoV cases, including 33 deaths, have been reported. One of the 182 cases is the case that was confirmed in China and also notified by the National IHR Focal Point of China.

The median age of the cases is 55 years old (ranging from 16 to 87 years old). The majority of cases are men (60%). Twenty-six cases (14%) are health care professionals. To date, all cases (excluding the index case) have been linked to a single chain of transmission and are associated with health care facilities.

Detailed information concerning MERS-CoV cases in the Republic of Korea can be found in a separate document (see related links).

Public health response

The government of the Republic of Korea continues to implement intense case and contact management activities. As of 30 June, 2,638 contacts are being monitored while a total of 13,354 contacts have been released.

From July 3 to July 14, the city of Gwangju will host the 2015 Summer Universiade (the World University Games). To support the safe and successful hosting of the event, on June 29, the head of the Infectious Disease Management division of the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention established in Gwangju a MERS response & support task force. On the same day, health care workers in the hospitals of the athletes’ village and approximately 200 stadium stewards were trained in the use of fever detectors and educated on how to respond to the occurrence of a suspected MERS-CoV case.

Global situation

Globally, since September 2012, WHO has been notified of 1,357 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 486 related deaths.