By Jhoo Dong-chan
No genetic mutation in the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus has been found in Korea after analyses of samples were conducted, according to the health authorities.
Lee Ju-shil, head of the Korea National Institute of Health (KNIH), said on Saturday that there was little difference found in gene sequencing between samples of the MERS virus in Korea and those studied in the Middle East.
The sequencing work came amid suspicions about mutation by medical experts because the MERS virus has spread in the country much faster than the health authorities predicted.
A sample from the nation’s second patient was also sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a research institute in the Netherlands for genetic sequencing.
“The sample had a 99.55 percent similarity with the virus from Saudi Arabia,” Lee said during a press conference.
However, it is true that the virus is spreading much faster than in Saudi Arabia and other countries affected by the disease. Experts say that the country’s environmental conditions could boost the spread of the disease.
Pharmacy professor Song Dae-sup of Korea University said that Korea offers a more favorable environment for the MERS virus to survive.
It is said that the virus does not survive in high temperatures and humidity.
“Because Korea offers lower temperature and humidity in spring compared to Saudi Arabia, the virus may have spread faster than in the Middle East,” Song said.
Kim Woo-ju, head of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, said that Korean hospitals have a large number of wards which many patients share, and that this may be another reason for the fast spread of the virus.
Also, in Korea many family members attend to patients by staying at hospitals rather than leaving it to professional caregivers.
At Pyeongtaek St. Mary’s Hospital where 37 patients were diagnosed as having MERS, many wards there did not have a ventilation system. “Such a closed environment could fuel the spread of the virus among patients as well as doctors,” Kim said.
The nation’s first patient stayed at the hospital, spreading the disease to other patients and family members. He was confirmed to have the virus on May 20.