It seems that South Korea and the rest of the world can now breathe easy as reports indicate that the deadly MERS virus is now almost gone from South Korea.
For those who are not familiar with the MERS virus, The Independent notes that the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus or MERS is a member of the group of coronaviruses that include SARS and the common cold. It is a very dangerous virus as The Independent notes that over a thousand cases of MERS have been reported worldwide since May 2015 and that almost 40 percent of those infected die. The report also states that people as young as 1 year old and those over 90 years old have been infected with the virus, which means that almost anybody could suffer from it.
However, people in South Korea can now breathe easy as it has been reported that the country is now virtually free of the MERS virus that killed over 30 people and made hundreds of citizens sick since the outbreak was confirmed.
According to The New York Times, South Korea's prime minister, Hwang Kyo-ahn, confirmed that South Korea hasn't had a new MERS case in a long time. "It is the judgment of medical experts and the government that people can now feel safe," Hwang said.
The report notes that the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that the MERS virus outbreak in the country is now under control. WHO praised the public health measures implemented by the South Korean government.
It has been reported that the MERS virus usually spreads slowly but the crowded emergency rooms and hospital wards may have contributed to the fast and wide spread of the MERS virus in South Korea. Experts also stated that "doctor shopping," aka visiting multiple clinics and hospitals to treat the same illness, might have also contributed to the spread of the MERS virus. It has been noted that several countries, including China, Czech Republic and United Arab Emirates, advised their citizens against traveling to South Korea due to the MERS outbreak.
It seems, however, that the countries around the world are now starting to give the go signal for their citizens to travel to South Korea again as it has been reported that Vietnam became the last country among them to lift the travel warning. In addition, Hong Kong is expected to lift their travel advisory soon.
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