South Korea has its first MERS case; UAE finds 2

Robert Roos | News Editor | CIDRAP News
MERS-CoV
South Korea map
Map of South Korea

bogdanserban / iStock

MERS has reached South Korea for the first time with a case in a man who recently returned there from Bahrain, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has identified what appears to be its second and third asymptomatic cases this week, according to media reports today.

South Korean officials said the case there involves a 68-year-old man who was in Bahrain on farming-related business from Apr 18 to May 3, according to a Reuters report today. It said he is in stable condition after being treated for a high fever and cough. The South Korean health ministry said he traveled through Qatar in returning home on May 4.

Reuters also reported that the man's wife, who nursed him, has a minor respiratory illness and is being tested for MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). The result will be available tomorrow, Kim Young-taek, a director at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told Reuters.

The case also represents the first MERS-CoV illness associated with Bahrain, a small island nation in the Persian Gulf, according to a MERS-CoV case list maintained by FluTrackers, an infectious disease message board.

Asymptomatic cases in UAE

In the UAE, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi today reported two asymptomatic MERS cases, according to the Emirates News Agency. They follow the report from the World Health Organization 2 days ago of an asymptomatic case in a foreign truck driver who transports camels and lives in Abu Dhabi.

The story said the two new cases were identified through active investigation, but it didn't specify whether the patients are contacts of the camel hauler or give any other details about the patients. The lack of information leaves open the possibility that one of the cases is actually that of the truck driver and that only one case is new.

The patients have been isolated in a hospital out of caution, and their contacts are being traced, the report said.

The latest cases raise the UAE's overall MERS count to 74, with just 4 cases this year, according to FluTrackers.

See also:

May 20 Reuters story

May 20 Emirates News Agency story

FluTrackers MERS-CoV case list

May 18 CIDRAP News story on previous UAE case

This week's top reads

  1. FDA significantly limits COVID-19 vaccine recommendations

    Critics said today’s announcement is more evidence of the current administration’s willingness to undermine public trust in vaccines.

    Stephanie Soucheray
    FDA building

  2. Woman dies of Creutzfeldt-Jakob almost 50 years after taking prion-contaminated growth hormone

    The patient, who presented with gait imbalance and tremors, wasn't diagnosed until she was in a coma, shortly before she died.

    Mary Van Beusekom
    Woman in hospital bed

  3. Meta-analysis: Zika-infected pregnant moms 4 times more likely to have babies with microcephaly

    Five of 22 studies noted that over 50% of newborns had microcephaly, and the same number of studies observed that over 5% had congenital Zika syndrome. 

    Mary Van Beusekom

  4. HHS expected to discontinue COVID vaccine recommendations for some groups

    When CDC advisers widened their recommendation in 2023, most members were swayed by data, including those for long COVID, showing that no group is at low risk for the virus.

    Lisa Schnirring

  5. WHO advisers say current strains OK for COVID vaccine production

    Current vaccine strains show high neutralization against the latest variants, but the LP.8.1 antigen may provide similar or moderately higher cross-reactive antibody response.

    Lisa Schnirring
    senior vaccination

  6. US measles outbreak grows to 1,024 cases

    Texas remains the country's hot spot, with 718 cases. 

    Chris Dall
    Doctor treating child with measles

  7. Texas announces more measles cases, including first in Dallas area

    Two cases near the Dallas area are now included in the large outbreak, which now totals 717 cases.

    Lisa Schnirring

  8. Moderna pulls licensing submission for combo flu-COVID vaccine

    Moderna's combination vaccine was intended for adults 50 and older. 

    Stephanie Soucheray

  9. Saudi Arabia confirms 9 MERS cases, including hospital cluster

    Since 2023, the country has ramped up MERS-CoV testing as part of sentinel surveillance.

    Lisa Schnirring
    hospital isolation

  10. Mpox activity escalates in Sierra Leone

    Responding to the surge is a major focus, partly to prevent the spread to other West African countries. 

    Lisa Schnirring
    mpox virus

Our underwriters