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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Hospital tests man in suspected MERS case

A hospital is testing for a second time a South Korean man with suspected Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the man having previously tested negative, health authorities said Saturday.The 50-year-old man, who returned to South Korea from a five-month business trip in the United Arab Emirates earlier in the day, showed symptoms including a fever and chills. Airport authorities sent him to an isolation ward at Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Incheon, west of Seoul.If the man's results are negative in the second test, he will be released. If not, he will continue to stay in the isolation ward and all people who were in close contact with him will be isolated, health authorities said. South Korea reported its first case of MERS in three years earlier this month.Health authorities said there has been no confirmation of additional MERS patients since the first case of the deadly disease here on Sept. 8, with all suspected cases testing negative.MERS is a viral respiratory disease with a fatality rate of 20-46 percent. It is caused by a novel coronavirus carried by camel

Sep 22, 2018
Hospital tests man in suspected MERS case

CCTV cameras may become common fixture in operating rooms

A medical equipment salesman enters the operating room at a hospital in Busan in this video footage taken in May. The patient died shortly after undergoing shoulder surgery by this unlicensed person instead of surgeon. / YonhapBy Lee Suh-yoonStarting next month, a Gyeonggi provincial government-operated medical facility will install closed circuit (CCTV) surveillance cameras inside operating rooms to more closely check on possible medical malpractice and abuse of anesthetized patients. It is yet to be seen whether the initiative will encourage other hospitals to follow suit amid growing public calls for the cameras following cases of botched operations by unlicensed employees or ghost doctors and sexual harassment of patients under anesthesia, as well as disputes over malpractice.Ansung Hospital, located in southern Gyeonggi Province, will start recording with cameras Oct. 1. Under this new system, surgeries will be recorded with the patient's consent and the clips will be stored for up to 30 days. This is the first time for a CCTV monitoring system to be installed in a public medica

Sep 18, 2018
CCTV cameras may become common fixture in operating rooms

MERS infection route remains mystery

By Kim Hyun-binHow a Korean man visiting Kuwait contracted Korean Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is puzzling because the health authorities of Kuwait said the infection was unlikely to have originated there. Mustafa Redha, undersecretary for Kuwait's Ministry of Health, said Wednesday local time that all 10 people who had had close contact with the confirmed Korean MERS patient tested negative for the virus.“We have taken all measures needed to ensure the safety of citizens and expats against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome,” Redha said in a press conference.According to local Kuwait media, the press conference was held after a report issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) that a Korean had contracted the MERS virus during his visit there. Upon the report, the Korean ministry raised the level of alert to contain any possible cases of the disease. It also took samples from people who had close contact with the patient, including his colleagues, drivers and medical staffers at a local hospital he visited, and the results came out negative.Kuwait has not had

Sep 13, 2018By Kim Hyun-bin

New outbreak: 61 students show food poisoning signs; cause unknown

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include stomachache and diarrhea. Hankookilbo.By Jung Hae-myoung, Park Si-sooIn yet another suspected mass food poisoning case, 61 students in South Gyeongsang Province have been receiving medical treatment after showing symptoms of fever, stomach ache and diarrhea. Forty-five of the students are from Changwon Masan Jeil High School, while 16 go to Changwon Science High School.The first suspected patient was reported on Sept. 3, only days after the outbreak of a massive food poisoning case that has affected more than 2,200 students across the country, which is believed to be caused by their consumption of Pulmunoe chocolate cakes. Health authorities found no link between the two outbreaks. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) is investigating the latest case, suspecting another mass-produced cake brand served in school meals in the province as the cause. “The MFDS said the cake did not contain any salmonella virus, but the Public Health and Environment Research Institute will give a more detailed analysis,” an education ministry off

Sep 13, 2018
New outbreak: 61 students show food poisoning signs; cause unknown

Emirates Airlines withholds list of passengers in possible contact with MERS patient

By Kim Hyun-bin The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) is having difficulty receiving passenger information on an Emirates Airlines flight that carried a man who was confirmed to have been infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).The 61-year-old man departed from Kuwait for Incheon with a transfer at Dubai, and later tested positive for MERS after arriving in Korea.The KCDC obtained a list of passengers on the flight from Dubai to Incheon and has been monitoring them, especially those who sat close to the patient. But it has not obtained a list for the flight from Kuwait to Dubai.“We need passenger information on the flight from Kuwait to Dubai to verify who sat around the patient, but we have been unable to receive it,” a KCDC official said. “We have submitted a request for cooperation to the Emirates Airlines.”The patient took Emirates flight EK860 at 10:35 a.m. Sept. 6 and transferred to Emirates flight EK322 bound for Incheon the following day at 3:47 a.m.“The airline does not want to release the passenger list f

Sep 12, 2018By Kim Hyun-bin
Emirates Airlines withholds list of passengers in possible contact with MERS patient

10 suspected MERS cases test negative

All 10 people who had shown symptoms of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) tested negative for the disease, health authorities said Wednesday.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said one person who came into close contact with a MERS patient and another nine people who came into ordinary contact, and who had been placed under quarantine have all been released as they did not have the potentially life-threatening disease.The released people, however, will further be monitored by the KCDC, officials said.On Saturday, a 61-year-old man was diagnosed with the disease after returning home from his visit to Kuwait. He was rushed to the emergency room of Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport.As of 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, a total of 21 people who had come in close contact with the MERS patient, including those on the plane, such as flight attendants, passengers, medical staff and immigration officials, have all been quarantined in their respective homes and are being monitored for signs of MERS.The agency said t

Sep 12, 2018
10 suspected MERS cases test negative

Gov't struggling to find people in contact with MERS patients

By Lee Kyung-min Government efforts to contain the further spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) are facing a roadblock, as it is struggling to locate people who came into contact with a patient confirmed with the disease over the weekend. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), Tuesday, the patient, 61, who took a three-week business trip to Kuwait, was confirmed to have been infected with MERS coronavirus (CoV), Saturday, a day after he arrived in Korea on Emirates Airline flight EK 322. Passengers aboard the plane included 115 foreigners.Including the passengers, a total of 408 people came into direct or indirect contact with the man. Another 21 who came into close contact _ within approximately two meters from the patient according to the World Health Organization (WHO) definition _ have been quarantined at home or state-designated facilities.The remaining 387 people were instructed to voluntarily report to the health authorities immediately if they experience MERS symptoms such as a fever, coughing and shortness of breath. The KCDC s

Sep 11, 2018By Lee Kyung-min
Gov't struggling to find people in contact with MERS patients
  • People showing MERS-like symptoms will not be immediately quarantined
  • 5 suspected MERS cases test negative

Parent seeks extra time for narcoleptic student at college exams

High school seniors take a mock test for the college examination. YonhapBy Jung Hae-myoung A parent of a narcoleptic student has challenged an education ministry decision not to grant the student special consideration at college entrance exams. Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder in which a person suddenly falls asleep.The parent filed a petition with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) against the decision. The NHRCK advised the ministry to grant the request at the 2019 college exam in Korea, but the ministry refused. It said the students can take the test in a separate room but it was hard to give them extra time.“Students with narcolepsy cannot take the test in the same conditions as others do due to their disorder,” the NHRCK said, taking it as a case for equal opportunity.

Sep 11, 2018
Parent seeks extra time for narcoleptic student at college exams

5 suspected MERS cases test negative

Five out of six people who had shown symptoms of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) tested negative for the disease, health authorities said Tuesday.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said the five people who came into "ordinary" contact with a MERS patient and had been placed under quarantine have all been released as they did not have the potentially life-threatening disease.Among them is a 24-year-old British woman who was on the same plane as the country's first MERS patient in three years and showed cold-like symptoms.The sixth person is awaiting the result of the second test, with the first one also testing negative for MERS, the KCDC said.On Saturday, a 61-year-old man was diagnosed with the disease after returning home from his visit to Kuwait. He was rushed to the emergency room of Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport.As of 6:00 p.m. Monday, a total of 21 people who had come in close contact with the MERS patient, including those on the plane, such as flight attendants, passengers, medica

Sep 11, 2018
5 suspected MERS cases test negative
  • MERS fear: Authorities seek 50 foreign tourists in South Korea
  • Gov't struggling to find people in contact with MERS patients

MERS fear: Authorities seek 50 foreign tourists in South Korea

Health screening at the airport. Captured from KBS News.By Jung Hae-myoungAbout 50 foreigners who may have been in contact with a confirmed MERS patient during a flight to South Korea remain unaccounted for, health authorities said.The government is tracking down 408 passengers and crew who flew to Seoul with the infected man on an Emirates Airlines flight from Dubai on Sept. 7. The patient, 61, was diagnosed with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome after a business trip to Kuwait. Twenty-two people who have had direct contact with him have been quarantined.Authorities are concerned that the 50 foreign tourists are unaware of the health risk. Embassies are being notified to help track down their nationals who shared the flight.

Sep 11, 2018
MERS fear: Authorities seek 50 foreign tourists in South Korea
  • People showing MERS-like symptoms will not be immediately quarantined
  • 5 suspected MERS cases test negative
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