| Ali Al-Barrack, left, head of the Saudi Center of Disease Control and Prevention, speaks during a meeting with Korean medical experts at the Korea BioBank building in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Friday. The Saudi Arabian delegation visited Korea to discuss how to deal with the spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome here. / Yonhap |
Two additional deaths brings toll up to 13
By Jung Min-ho
From a crisis come heroes.
In the ongoing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) epidemic, they have come in droves ― nurses, doctors, civil servants and others, who are risking their lives to fight off the aggressive virus.
As MERS shows an erratic but distinct pattern of being contained, praise and words of appreciation are pouring in for these MERS warriors.
Heads of municipal government could hardly contain their admiration for the courage of medical workers who are "facing it through hard work and sacrifice."
Many of the staff at the affected hospitals are taking care of confirmed or suspected patients wearing heavy protective clothing, often having their food delivered or sometimes sleeping at hospitals as they cannot contact others freely due to fear of their own infection from patients.
After visiting the city-run Seoul Medical Center, Mayor Park Won-soon posted a picture of a nurse in protective clothing on Thursday, saying, "She is like an angel."
Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil also offered words of encouragement to the medical staff at the state-run Suwon Hospital after visiting on Thursday.
"Despite the tough circumstances, medical workers are doing their best, and I can feel it," he said.
Some civic groups in Daejeon, including the Daejeonlove Citizens Conference, staged a campaign near MERS-hit hospitals in the region on the same day to express their gratitude for the work of the medical staff.
Holding a banner that read, "You are the heroes of Daejeon," participants, including Mayor Kwon Sun-taik, greeted medical workers in the morning with cheers in front of Konyang University Hospital, Chungnam National University Hospital and Eulji University Hospital.
According to Konyang University Hospital, where nine people have been diagnosed with MERS, many people have offered help and medical supplies such as masks.
Internet users are also posting messages of gratitude. "Many doctors and nurses treat patients despite the risk of infection. While people are afraid of even going near hospitals, they risk their lives, although the risk may not offer them any benefit," a blogger said.
On Friday, an elementary schoolboy in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, tested positive in a second test.
The boy, who the authorities said is aged under 10, has been isolated at home since Tuesday when his father was diagnosed for MERS. He visited Samsung Medical Center, the second epicenter of the disease, with his father on May 27.
In the first test on Tuesday, the child was tested negative but the second test result changed. The Ministry of Health and Welfare is examining his case and if confirmed, the boy will be the first aged under 10 to be infected.
The ministry reported one more death and four additional cases of infection, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 126.
It said a 72-year-old female patient in Sunchang, North Gyeongsang Province, died after contracting the virus last month while staying in Pyeongtaek St. Mary's Hospital in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, where the first MERS case was confirmed.
Three out of the four contracted MERS at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, while the other patient was infected at Pyeongtaek Good Morning Hospital, the ministry said.
All 126 confirmed cases have occurred only within hospitals, the ministry noted.
Meanwhile, the number of people in isolation dropped for the first time to 3,680 from over 3,800 a day ago.
Ministry officials believe that the decrease may be a sign that the spread of the virus is finally on the wane.
They hope that this weekend will be a turning point in the battle against MERS as the rise in newly infected people has slowed to four from 14 the previous day.
The MERS hotline has also started an English service. For the service, call 109 without an area code, and press 1 after the announcement: "For English, press1."
The government said it could provide emergency relief funds of up to 400 billion won ($360 million) for financial support for hospitals that are struggling from a shutdown or a loss of patients.
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