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

The Korean Society of Infectious Diseases • Expert opinion on MERS-CoV in South Korea www.icjournal.org 248 on a business trip in the Middle East, including Bahrain (April 18th to May 2nd), the United Arab Emirates (April 29th-30th), and Saudi Arabia (May 1st-2nd) (Fig. 1) . The emerging epidemic, which nearly paralyzed the country, caused the spread of exaggerated fears through Korea's social network system resulting in demands from parents for school closures and even reduced tourism from nearby countries. Preliminary expert forecasts reported a GDP decline of at least 0.2-0.3% in June 2015 [3] . Worldwide attention was given to this large outbreak because Korea is an industrialized country with a well-organized healthcare system. The possibility of mutant MERS-CoV strains, with increased transmissibility, posed pandemic threats.