Six Cases of MERS-CoV in the Republic of Korea are Reported to WHO

Between June 24 and June 26, 2015, the National IHR Focal Point of the Republic of Korea notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of six additional confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) as well as four additional deaths.

To date, a total of 181 MERS-CoV cases, including 31 deaths, have been reported. One of the 181 cases is the case that was confirmed in China and also notified by the National IHR Focal Point of China.

The median age of the cases is 55 years old (ranging from 16 to 87 years old). The majority of cases are men (61%). Twenty-five cases (14%) are health care professionals. To date, all cases (excluding the index case) have been linked to a single chain of transmission and are associated with health care facilities.

The government of the Republic of Korea continues to implement intense case and contact management activities. As of 26 June, 2,931 contacts are being monitored while a total of 12,203 contacts have been released.

Globally, since September 2012, WHO has been notified of 1,356 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 484 related deaths.

Source: WHO