South Korea declares de facto end to MERS outbreak
South Korea has declared a de facto end to the deadly MERS outbreak in the country, as no reports of new infection cases have been reported for more than three weeks now.
South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, while addressing a meeting of government officials in the capital, Seoul, said the danger posed by what had been the biggest outbreak of the virus outside Saudi Arabia was over.
“After weighing various circumstances, the medical personnel and the government judge that the people can now be free from worry,” Hwang said during a Monday cabinet meeting to control the deadly viral disease.
“I ask the public to shake off all concerns over MERS and to resume normal daily activities, including economic, cultural, leisure and school activities,” he added.
Hwang apologized for the government’s much-criticized response to the outbreak.
The South Korean prime minister’s declaration came 69 days after the first MERS case was discovered in the Asian country. The deadly virus infected 186 people, and killed 36 in South Korea since then.
The MERS outbreak hit South Korea hard in terms of psychological impacts on citizens. Some reportedly even felt reluctant to go shopping for infection fears.
The outbreak also had a disastrous effect on the economy, with a 40-percent drop in the number of foreign visitors to South Korea. At least 130,000 foreign tourists cancelled their travel plan to South Korea in June alone over MERS fears, according to government officials.
MERS, which stands for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. The disease is part of the corona virus family, which includes the common cold and SARS. It can cause such symptoms as fever, breathing problems, pneumonia and kidney failure.
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