Increase in MERS Victims in South Korea

The number of victims in one of the worst outbreaks of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea has reached seven, while hundreds of schools remain closed and public concern about worsening conditions is rising. The latest MERS victim, a 68-year-old woman, died on Tuesday, June 9. She had been in contact with a patient infected with MERS in the hospital nearly two weeks prior. On Tuesday, eight new patients were diagnosed with respiratory syndrome, while a day earlier, 23 new patients had been hospitalized. Currently, the total number of patients infected with the novel coronavirus has reached 95, up from just four two weeks ago. This marks the worst outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outside of Saudi Arabia. The first MERS patient was identified on May 20 (20 days ago). In addition to the patients infected with the virus, 2,500 people are under quarantine, and nearly 2,000 schools have been publicly closed in the metropolitan area of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds the capital. Amid widespread criticism of the initial response from President Park Geun-hye's government, concerns in the country have increased with the rising number of patients and victims. The Hankyoreh newspaper, published in Seoul, states that while the government faces a wave of protests, it remains unclear which agency is primarily responsible for combating the disease: the presidential office, the prime minister's office, or the Ministry of Health. In addition to South Korea itself, concerns have also arisen in neighboring countries or regions. The South China Morning Post, published in Hong Kong, quotes a senior expert from the region, who points out that experiences from Hong Kong show that the spread of patients in the vicinity will increase the number of victims. Hong Kong itself is a region that saw nearly 300 victims during the SARS outbreak in 2002 and 2003, which widely raised public concern.