During May 20 and 21, 2015, South Korean officials reported the country’s first three MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) cases. The index case is a 68-year-old male who visited Bahrain on farming-related business during April 18 and May 3 and returned to South Korea on May 4. On May 11, the case developed symptoms and sought medical attention. On the following day, the case was hospitalized. On May 20, infection with MERS-CoV was confirmed in the case. As of now, the case is currently in non-critical condition. The second case is the wife of the index case who nursed him. The third case is a 76-year-old male who shared the same ward with the index case in the hospital. Currently, all three cases are all receiving treatment in isolation. South Korean officials further stated that besides Bahrain, the index case had also visited Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A total of 64 close contacts, including the cases’ family members and healthcare workers that cared for them, are being placed in quarantine and monitored.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), during September 2012 and May 18, 2015, a total of 1,118 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 423 related deaths, have been confirmed. Thus far, MERS-CoV has been reported in 24 countries. The majority of the cases were reported in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar. Among these countries, Saudi Arabia has reported the most cases. In addition, most cases have travel history to these affected areas prior to their disease onset. Since 2012, Taiwan has reported 15 suspected MERS-CoV cases and MERS-CoV infection has been eliminated in all of them. Currently, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control Taiwan CDC has issued a travel notice of Level 2: Alert for MERS-CoV to Saudi Arabia, and a travel notice of Level 1: Watch for MERS-CoV to UAE, Jordan, Qatar, Iran, Oman and Bahrain.

Taiwan CDC advises travelers planning to visit countries in the Middle East to visit the outpatient travel medicine clinic 2 to 4 weeks prior to their trip to obtain any medical advice they need. Throughout the trip, travelers are urged to pay attention to personal hygiene, respiratory protection and hand cleanliness and avoid visiting any farms and all direct contact with camels, including drinking un-pasteurized camel milk, to reduce the risk of infection. If you have experienced symptoms such as fever, cough or influenza-like illness, and diarrhea upon your arrival in Taiwan, please notify the quarantine officer at the quarantine station at airports/harbors immediately and put on a surgical mask and seek immediate medical attention and inform your physician of any recent travel and exposure history. Taiwan CDC urges physicians to stay vigilant and reinforce the reporting of suspected cases to ensure prompt treatment and subsequent implementation of the relevant prevention and control measures.

For more information, please visit the Taiwan CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922 (or 0800-001922).