Monday, June 01, 2015

Korean MERS Cluster Rises To 25, 2 Deaths













* * * UPDATED * * * 
We've an English language Yonhap news report that also references two `tertiary' transmissions of the virus (see below).




# 10,129


Although we are just parsing the case list, this latest announcement now puts South Korea in 3rd place in the total number of MERS cases, trailing only Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

An unenviable record set in under two weeks.

A few moments ago Yonhap News reported that the woman who died Monday Afternoon (Korea time) - and who had had contact with the index case, tested positive:

Late suspected MERS patient tests positive for the virus 
2015/06/01 03:49
SEOUL, June 2 (Yonhap) -- A suspected MERS patient in South Korea, who died Monday, has tested positive for the virus, the health ministry said Tuesday, making the case the country's first death related to the disease.

The 58-year-old female patient, whose identity has been withheld, was believed to have died of acute respiratory failure. She had been listed as a suspected case as she came in close contact with South Korea's first patient of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)

Tests have shown that she was infected with the virus, officials said. 


The following was posted a short while ago on the Korean HHW website. These machine translations leave a lot to be desired, and it may be a while before we get a good sense of how all of these new cases fit into the bigger picture. 


Patient #6 & #25 are listed as fatalities, with #25 being the woman referenced in the report above. 


There is some buzz in the immediate korean language reports suggesting that one of these cases may represent tertiary (3rd generation) transmission of the virus.  It is hard to tell from what we have at this point.

* * * UPDATED * * * 

South Korea reports first two MERS-related deaths
         2015/06/02 05:19 
SEOUL, 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 also 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.



 Hopefully we'll get a better translation in the next few hours (see above).



Homers additional 6 patients occurred, a total of 25 cases (2 deaths) 


- 4 patients are B medical patients or family members in contact with the first patient, 2 patients in both patient contact and 16th confirmed cases of the D medical care related infections -

□ Department of Health and Human Services' central Homers management task force "is Mon., June 1st, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Homers) announced six additional cases were confirmed by a positive test result.

○ All four of these patients are admitted to the ward as a patient or family, such as from 5.15 to 5.17 days in the first patient hospitals B, there is such symptoms as fever was confirmed in the final positive genetic test conducted Homers.

○ As a patient the other two patients were hospitalized in the same ward with 16 confirmed character from 5.28 to 30 days were in the D institutions, there are symptoms such as fever was confirmed in the final positive genetic test carried out. Public-Private Joint Task Force- East in the medical practices in infection, that view spread in the community, said difficult.
 
* ('15 11:00 31. 5. Press See Resources.) 'Munhyeongpyo Minister Homers public-private joint declaration chongryeok corresponding to prevent the spread' (co-chaired by the Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Director for Infection Society Co-Chair)


The case list from the Korean HHW website follows: