Korea: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome - Corona Virus (MERS-CoV) *UPDATE*

Thursday, 25 June 2015

In light of most recent outbreak in Korea, North has produced an Key Points Information Sheet drawing Member’s attention to the symptoms of MERS-CoV and the precautions ships and owners can take when visiting an affected country or port.  A link to the new information sheet is provided below:

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) – Key Points Information Sheet

Thursday, 18 June 2015

The outbreak is the largest reported outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to date, 25 countries have reported cases, including countries in the Middle East (Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen); in Africa (Algeria, and Tunisia); in Europe (Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey and the United Kingdom); in Asia (China, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia and Philippines); and in North America (the United States of America).

Typical symptoms of MERS-CoV are fever, cough, shortness of breath and/or breathing difficulties, congestion in the nose and throat, diarrhoea and other symptoms suggesting an infection.  In advanced cases, serious complications can lead to pneumonia, kidney failure and can be potentially fatal.

According to our local correspondents (Hyopsung Seoul), all of the reported victims confirmed cases were from inland area and not port areas.  They further add that the Korean Government is currently establishing a database of all suspected and confirmed cases that will be shared amongst all hospitals and health care workers in the country.

Whilst health officials do not know exactly how the virus spreads they stress that hygiene, such as thorough / regular hand-washing, can be a limiting factor.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) currently recommends the following precautions:

• Hand hygiene and respiratory hygiene (covering mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing)
• Adhering to good food-safety practices, such as avoiding undercooked meat or food prepared under unsanitary conditions, and properly washing fruits and vegetables before eating them
• Maintaining good personal hygiene.

The WHO presently does not advise any special screening at points of entry or the application of any travel or trade restrictions.

The WHO have published a set of frequently asked questions concerning MERS-CoV and this can be read at MERS-CoV FAQ.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has issued the following advisory regarding Middle East Respiratory Syndrome – Corona Virus.  The advisory is aimed to be reminder of best practice when visiting affected countries and can be read here.

For the latest information on the outbreak, Members should refer to the World Health Organisation website at http://www.who.int/en/ and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at: http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/.