Seroprevalence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in public health workers responding to a MERS outbreak in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in 2015

Authors

  • Boyeong Ryu Seoul Center for Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Epidemiology, Seoul National University School of Public Health, Seoul, Republic of Korea https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9336-8098
  • Sung-Il Cho Seoul Center for Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Epidemiology, Seoul National University School of Public Health, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • Myoung-don Oh Seoul Center for Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • Jong-Koo Lee Seoul Center for Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • Jaein Lee Seoul Metropolitan Government Research Institute of Public Health and Environment, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • Young-Ok Hwang Seoul Metropolitan Government Research Institute of Public Health and Environment, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • Jeong-Sun Yang Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
  • Sung Soon Kim Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
  • Ji Hwan Bang Seoul Center for Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Division of Infectious Diseases, Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5365/wpsar.2018.9.3.002

Abstract

A large MERS outbreak occurred in the Republic of Korea (ROK) with 186 confirmed cases from May to July 2015. In the emergency response to the outbreak, including transporting and conducting initial interviews with suspected and confirmed patients, Local Public Health Centers (LPHC) and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel had contact with the patients. We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess whether LPHC and EMS workers were infected and to determine their exposure status. The serologic study was performed using ELISA as a screening test and IFA and PRNT for confirmation. A total of 34 workers from CHS and EMS participated in the study. Most of the staff exposed to MERS patients used adequate personal protective equipment (PPE). All study participants had negative test results despite having direct contact with patients. In conclusion, there was no evidence of MERS transmission via close contact with confirmed patients when PPE was properly used.

References

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Published

06-06-2019

How to Cite

1.
Ryu B, Cho S-I, Oh M- don, Lee J-K, Lee J, Hwang Y-O, Yang J-S, Kim SS, Bang JH. Seroprevalence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in public health workers responding to a MERS outbreak in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in 2015. Western Pac Surveill Response J [Internet]. 2019 Jun. 6 [cited 2026 Apr. 6];10(2). Available from: https://ojs.wpro.who.int/ojs/index.php/wpsar/article/view/658

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 2 (2019): April – June

Section

Brief Report

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