'Community transmission for MERS unlikely'

By Lee Kyung-min

Margaret Chan

The visiting head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Margaret Chan said Thursday that transmission of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) through communities should not be a fear in Korea as infections have largely been confined to health care facilities.

“There is no current evidence of sustained community transmission of spread with known spillover into the general population,” Chan told reporters at the COEX in southern Seoul.

Stressing the compelling need for ongoing monitoring, Chan exhibited optimism in the midst of the current fear of the epidemic.

Although containment measures have been recently intensified, it is too early to measure their full impact on transmission, according to Chan.

“Hopefully we can see the outbreak brought under control, although it might take some time.”

Chan held the press conference hours after arriving in Korea to attend the International Council of Nurses Conference.

Chan expressed cautious optimism for a possible end to the outbreak that has claimed 23 lives and put 6,729 people in quarantine since the first infection was confirmed, May 20.

She said, despite the inept initial response, the government has used strong follow-up measures to contain the epidemic.

"After a slow start, the government put in place one of the strongest responses I've seen," Chan said.

Earlier, the WHO announced the result of an emergency meeting convened on June 16 by the International Health Regulations to discuss the ongoing MERS epidemic here.

The meeting followed a four-day investigation by a joint team of government officials here and the WHO to determine the cause and patterns of the disease.

The committee concluded that based on available evidence on genetic sequencing, no significant changes in the virus were detected compared to those from the Middle East, the place of origin.

“In this outbreak, transmission of MERS has been strongly associated with health care settings typical to Korean culture,” it said.

The custom of many acquaintances or family members visiting and staying with infected patients in hospital rooms facilitated the quick secondary and tertiary spread of infections among contacts.

Lack of awareness about MERS among health authorities, doctors, and the public alike, coupled with over-crowded emergency rooms and hospitals rooms with multiple beds also contributed, it noted.

The WHO mentioned the practice of “doctor shopping,” meaning patients seeking care at multiple hospitals to obtain second or third opinions.

Ongoing monitoring is critical until the continuing spread dies down, according to Chan and the international agency.

“There is great need for health authorities to make every possible effort to ensure effective infection prevention and control measures at all times.”

Also noted was the importance that the monitoring includes the pattern of virus transmission between people, with consideration of the potential role of environmental contamination, poor ventilation and other factors.