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 RRT made the following conclusions about the MERS-CoV outbreak in Korea. First, the MERS-CoV identified in Korea did not exhibit any significant biological changes from the Middle East virus [4] . The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) isolated and analyzed the virus from the sputum of the second South Korean patient and determined the sample contained the same gene sequence as the Middle East virus, with more than 99% homology (GenBank: T029139.1) [4] . However, the Korean virus isolates still needed to be phenotypically matched to human MERS-CoV isolates found in other regions worldwide. An initial 10-day delay for laboratory confirmation of the index case was related to the rapid expansion of the epidemic. The index patient's symptoms evolved on May 11, 2015, but his diagnosis was delayed because he visited two private clinics and two hospitals before being asked about his specific travel history. In the early stages of the outbreak, less aggressive interventions were implemented because MERS-CoV had not previously been presented by returning travelers and no major outbreaks in humans had been previously observed.