The Same Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) yet Different Outbreak Patterns and Public Health Impacts on the Far East Expert Opinion from the Rapid Response Team of the Republic of Korea

Since the first report of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Saudi Arabia in September 2012 [1] , very little knowledge about its spread to other regions of the world existed until it reached Korea in May 2015. A total of 1,333 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS-CoV in more than two dozen countries in the world have been reported, along with at least 471 deaths. The weekly epidemiological report from the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 15th, 2015 [2] , stated that "the cases of MERS-CoV recently exported to other countries have not resulted in sustained onward transmission to persons in close contact with these cases on aircraft or in the respective countries outside the Middle East." Five days after the publication of this report, the first, or index, case in South Korea was reported on May 20th, 2015. With 186 people infected, including 38 deaths as of August 23rd, 2015, this MERS-CoV outbreak in South Korea was the largest reported outside of Saudi Arabia.