ROK Air Force Servicemember On Osan AB Contracts MERS; Unit Quarantined
For everyone stationed on Osan Airbase here is something to definitely be aware of:
An Air Force officer was isolated at a military hospital on Wednesday under suspicions he may be infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), military officials said.
If confirmed, it would be the first case of the infection of the deadly respiratory virus in the South Korean military.
The chief master sergeant at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, whose identity was withheld, tested positive for MERS, the officials said.
They said the military instantly isolated him and some 100 soldiers stationed at the same air base at a military hospital and their homes to prevent further infection on the base.
“We isolated a number of soldiers suspected to have contracted the disease to prevent its spread by minimizing others’ contacts with those we suspect are infected,” one of the officials said requesting not to be named. “The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will determine whether he has been infected or not on Thursday or later,” the official said.
The officer previously had been hospitalized for a fracture at a civilian facility in Gyeonggi Province that treated MERS patients, based on which the military conducted epidemiological research.
He, however, is not showing symptoms of the disease such as a fever or cough, the officials said.
South Korea has placed more than 1,300 people in quarantine with 30 testing positive for the respiratory virus since the first case of the disease was reported on May 21. On Tuesday, two of the 30 MERS patients died, sparking panic among some locals and forcing over 500 schools to close. [Yonhap]
Hopefully base leadership is emphasizing taking appropriate precautions to prevent the spread of the disease on Osan. Tight barracks space with shared facilities is a perfect place for a disease like this to spread. This whole spread of MERS has shown how minor the whole anthrax incident USFK recently had really was.
MERS or Anthrax? Funny how MERS appears at the same time as anthrax….
I keep hearing people say “taking appropriate precautions.” What are the appropriate precautions anyone can take to prevent infection from breathing in the air someone has coughed into?
Most of the secondary infections I’ve heard of occurred to people who went to a Korean hospital for some other reason. Maybe it’s the hospitals themselves that should be taking the precautions requiring masks for everyone who enters their doors.
Standard universal infection control protocols are rarely followed in the Korean healthcare system in spite of how many of their professionals train in the US. Chances are real good that a nurse, not using gloves or washing her hands, spread the virus from one patient to another. In the US we have the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Hospital Organizations to provide some over-site to what goes on in our hospitals, Korean’s don’t have standards they are required to follow. Without accreditation, hospitals would lose there Medicare and Medicaid funding. The Brian Allgood Army Community Hospital in Seoul is fully accredited. If the Korean’s don’t get this under control soon, this will turn into a disaster.
#1
I know you’re being facetious, but in case any conspiracy theorist want to get carried away with it, MERS was first brought to Korea over 3 weeks ago.
#3
Yes, because Korea has a much more densely packed population than countries of the Middle East it has the potential to take off quickly here.
LIMERICK
When it’s time for Osan to show
any fighting techniques they may know,
their NBC training
will need quick explaining
as they only trained for EO.
Here is an update on the MERS case on Osan AB:
https://www.rokdrop.net/2015/06/osan-ab-announces-that-schools-will-remain-open-despite-mers-case/