Health minister calls for preventive measures to fight MERS

Health and Welfare Minister Moon Hyung-pyo, left, along with a quarantine official, checks a thermal scanner at Incheon International Airport, Saturday. / Yonhap

By Lee Min-hyung

Health and Welfare Minister Moon Hyung-pyo said Saturday the government will strengthen measures to prevent Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) infection.

“The government will let the public know details of the preventive measures,” Moon said in a meeting with a group of civilian experts at the Incheon Airport National Quarantine Station.

“We need to take every measure to treat all the quarantined patients infected with the disease, and thoroughly monitor those who were in close proximity to the patients,” he said.

As of Saturday, three people are infected with the deadly virus in Korea. The first patient is under treatment and in stable condition. He experienced a high fever after staying for some two weeks in some Middle Eastern countries from mid-April.

The deadly disease was discovered in Saudi Arabia in 2012. It has a fatality rate of 40 percent. There is no cure or vaccine available to fight off the disease.