Engaging the international community during the 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

The recent Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak in the Republic of Korea, which started with an imported case¹ and spread throughout the country with a total of 186 cases,² revealed the vulnerabilities of the health care system of the Republic of Korea. The situation was compounded by unique health care settings of the Republic of Korea, including crowded emergency departments, the custom of having many hospital visitors and seeking care at multiple hospitals.³ To assist with the outbreak response, the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea hosted several international missions, which provided information about MERS and also recommendations for future prevention efforts. This paper presents the outcomes of these missions and shows their benefit.