Case Study of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) Outbreak in South Korea and Future Implications

Abstract

The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) is a potentially fatal respiratory viral infection that has had outbreaks in the Middle East and Asia region starting in 2012. As recent as 2015, MERS had outbreaks in South Korea, resulting in 36 deaths among 186 infected patients. The purpose of this thesis is to gain an in-depth understanding of how this viral infection behaves in outbreaks and how it is spread around the globe. To gain insight, real time analysis was performed under a case study methodology based on pooled data from the Ministry of Health & Welfare of South Korea. We calculated a striated mortality rate based on gender, age, and the presence of pre-existing health conditions ranging from heart, lung, and kidney diseases. We found that MERS outbreak follows the pattern of a point source outbreak, largely spurred by the patient-referral system under the universal healthcare system in South Korea. The purpose of this case is to discuss the benefits and challenges of such patient referral system, and to offer a possible solution in improving transparency between healthcare providers and the government under a universal healthcare system to prevent future outbreaks.

Preventive Measures Against COVID-19 in Small- and Mid-sized Enterprises from an Early Stage of the Epidemic in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do

“…An epidemic of infectious disease has a cycle of about 5 years in Korea. This is evident from epidemics of different types of pathogens, including influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (influenza H1N1) [ 9 ] in 2009 and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) epidemic in 2015 [ 10 ]. Recognizing the importance of preventive activities after each epidemic of these diseases, preparations for the next epidemic or pandemic were developed, such as improving the legal system and expanding infrastructures based on the failures and successes of past epidemics [ 11 ].…”

The COVID-19 Outbreak in South Korea: Lessons to Be Learned

“…Furthermore, due to lack of a proper national response to the disease with proper protocol, oversight, and ability to facilitate communication between medical institutions, several secondary patients were transferred to other hospitals without being quarantined. This led to additional cases of infections [2] [4]. By the time the MERS outbreak was considered to be over, South Korea became the country that was most heavily affected by MERS outside of the Middle East with 186 laboratory-confirmed cases and 38 deaths.…”