2nd outbreak from MERS-affected Samsung Medical Center: Is control tower operating?

The number of patients with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has increased by 23 to 64 over the weekends. Starting form the weekend, the number of MERS patients infected at Pyeongtaek Seongsim Hospital is on the decrease while the number of patients who contracted MERS from Samsung Medical Center is going up to 17. It is worrisome to see that Samsung Medical Center, one of Korea’s top hospitals located in Gangnam area of Seoul, has become the secondary source of MERS infection. As so many chronic patients and visitors are coming from the entire nation to the medical center, its repercussion is farther-reaching than that of Pyeongtaek Seongsim Hospital, the first source of MERS outbreak. The government and the medical center’s responses may determine whether the deadly respiratory disease will be contained or not.

Based on CCTV footages, Samsung Medical Center found that 893 people were exposed to the virus by the 14th confirmed MERS patient transferred from Pyeongtaek and performed measures for isolation. However, as the patient had been staying at the emergency room since May 27 until he was informed of confirmation on the MERS infection by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 29, while the hospital was not aware of the infection, multiple patients and their families were exposed to the virus and were subject to isolation. The government needs to minimize the lead time until the confirmation result comes out, and urgently find ways to prevent infection through emergency room.

Fortunately, MERS infections were limited in hospitals and there has been no report on community infection. No virus mutation was found in Korea. If there had been air-borne transmission of MERS, the number of patients would have surged and the infectious disease would have spread out to local communities. These facts mean that thorough containment of hospitals may prevent spread of MERS. This is why major local press have emphasized that it is essential to make public the names of hospitals where MERS patients were treated or visited in order to contain the MERS outbreak and resolve the public’s anxiety.

The acting Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan belatedly disclosed on Sunday the names of six hospitals where MERS confirmed patients were treated and 18 hospitals where the patients visited. However, the list turned out to be erroneous, dropping confidence in the central government. Even though there is an acting prime minister, concerns are growing as to whether the control tower is in operation to lead responses against MERS, or whether it will be okay to let Health Minister Moon Hyeong-pyo have the commandership despite his inability to contain the disease at earlier stages.

While the central government is showing its incapability to address MERS outbreak, it is inappropriate for local government heads from the opposition party to be at feud with the central government. On Saturday, Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung caused controversy over human rights abuse by making public addresses of the MERS confirmed patients and the names of schools where their children attend. The mayor said the disclosure of such information was to put an end to fear over groundless-rumors and prevent further innocent victims. But it is a matter to reconsider whether it was really necessary to disclose personal information of patients’ children without any symptoms.

On Sunday, Health Minister Moon, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, Gyeonggi Governor Nam Gyeong-pil, South Chungcheong Governor Ahn Hee-jung, and Daejeon Mayor Kwon Seon-taek held a joint briefing to announce commitment for sharing of information and improving cooperation between the central and local governments. As much as it is necessary for the government ministries to collaborate each other, it is necessary for local governments at the forefront of Korea’s public health system to cooperate with the central government. It is belated but relieving that the ruling and opposition parties’ representatives made commitment for bipartisan cooperation, refraining from political strife. Even though the government needs to be held responsible for its failure, for now it is more appropriate to give more strength to the central government, which is busy containing MERS outbreak. This is a state of emergency to gather all the national power we have for organized and coordinated responses against MERS.