Statement from the FISU Medical Committee Chair Lawrence D. RINK, M.D.
We are now seeing a decline in the number of new patients identified with MERS in South Korea. There have been two newly diagnosed cases on Sunday involving health care workers. A total of 43 patients have recovered and have been released from hospitals. The number of new patients has been declining for the past three days with 8 on Tuesday to none on Saturday. The number of persons exposed to patients and quarantined in a state facility or at home declined to 4,035 on Saturday from a peak of 6,700 on Wednesday.
This outbreak began on 20 May when a 66-year old man was diagnosed after returning from a trip to Saudi Arabia. The initial spread of the virus did cause public alarm and did prompt the closure of many schools and cancellation of many foreign travellers to South Korea. Most persons were infected in hospitals. The World Health Organization has stated they have found no evidence of transmission of the virus within communities outside hospitals. The WHO Chief, Margaret Chan, said on Thursday that Seoul is now on a very good footing.
The WHO continues to state and reaffirm there are no restrictions to/from Korea. However, all persons involved in the FISU Summer Universiade should take strict precautions for good health procedures (i.e. wash hands, do not cough on others, make sure bodily fluids are self-contained). No-one is to travel to these Games or from your country if they have symptoms of any illness or have fever, cough or signs/symptoms of respiratory infection.