Authorities will monitor mobile phones of people in
quarantine in a bid to track infections [Reuters]
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“
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We think we have a chance at putting the
outbreak under total control.
Choi
Kyung-hwan, deputy prime minister
South Korean authorities have ordered nearly 2,000
schools closed nationwide to prevent the spread of
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
The health ministry on Monday reported 23 new
infections, bringing the total to 87. Six people have
so far died in the outbreak, as the government looks
for ways to contain the spread.
Jeong Eun-Kyeong from the Centre for Disease
Control and Prevention told Al Jazeera that the
government is trying to monitor people suspected
of being infected after reports that some people
were ignoring instructions to isolate themselves.
"We did cellphone tracking in a couple of cases.
For those we need to find we will request location
tracking and get the data," Jeong said.
South Korea now has the second highest number of
infections in the world after Saudi Arabia, according
to statistics from the European Centre for Disease
Prevention and Control.
Reflecting public concern among parents, 1,869
schools across the country are due to be closed on
Monday, the education ministry said.
The government, under criticism for a lack of
transparency and failing to respond swiftly to the
outbreak, also said it would track people who may
have been in contact with patients through their
mobile phones.
Home quarantine
Over 2,300 people were under quarantine as of
Sunday, some in healthcare facilities but most at
home.
Deputy Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said there
was no reason to believe that the virus would
significantly spread further in the country.
"So far, all the MERS cases have been hospital-
associated, and there has been no case of an
infection in other social settings. We think we have
a chance at putting the outbreak under total
control," Choi said.
Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett, reporting from Seoul,
said that while cases were limited to hospital
environments, there was increasing public fear that
the disease would spread.
"More than 1800 schools are shut, public events
have been cancelled, and many people are
avoiding crowded areas...It all reflects growing
concern as the number of cases grows each day,"
Fawcett said.
The latest MERS patient to die was an 80-year-old
man, who tested positive for the virus last week
while being treated for pneumonia.
The virus has no vaccine, and health experts say it
spreads through close contact with infected people
and not through the air.
MERS was discovered in 2012 and has mostly been
centred in Saudi Arabia. It belongs to the family of
coronaviruses that includes the common cold and
SARS, and can cause fever, breathing problems,
pneumonia and kidney failure. The virus has
spread primarily through contact with camels.
South Korea's first patient returned from Saudi
Arabia in early May, officials have said.
South Korea's new cases bring the total globally to
1,236, based on World Health Organization (WHO)
data, with at least 445 related deaths.

I remember when a South Korean University withdrew its invitation for 3 Nigerian students coming into their country. They didnt allow anyone get in, most likely because they were paranoid and racist, not because the Ebola had spread that much. A student from that same university reportedly wrote the Presidency urging them to stop Nigerians from entering S.Korea.

Now a similar thing has happened to them. . . I pray God heals their land and help them curb the respiratory disease. . . The world must learn that anything can happen to any country at anytime. Racism won't take us anywhere.

I also hope Donald Trump won't forget to insult Obama if he refuses to ban S.Koreans from entering the US. Baba olowo igbo.

Lalasticlala, Seun fp material.