MERS toll reaches 20 in S. Korea; WHO says a ‘wake up call’

Geneva

World Health Organisation warned today that the MERS outbreak in South Korea is a "wake-up call." It blamed the lack of knowledge and substandard controls in hospitals for the spread of the disease.

 The WHO urged all countries to be more vigilant as South Korea reported its 20th death from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus.

 "The outbreak really should serve as a wake-up call for countries," WHO assistant director general Keiji Fukuda said after an emergency committee meeting.

 "All countries should always be prepared for the unanticipated possibility of outbreaks like this and other serious infectious diseases," a WHO statement said.

 The warning came as alarming reports emerged in South Korea of new cases that had slipped through quarantine measures that already affect thousands.

 And on Tuesday, German authorities reported that a national had died after contacting MERS during a trip to Abu Dhabi, but said there was no indication the virus had spread.

 The fact that MERS patients had been kept in crowded emergency rooms, visiting multiple hospitals for second and third opinions on diagnoses and the custom of many visitors and family members staying with infected patients in their hospital rooms also facilitated the spread of the virus, the committee found.