Just noticed this morning that MERS–Middle East Respiratory Syndrome is back and there are 180 MERS cases in South Korea reported, which makes it the largest outbreak outside of Saudi Arabia.
The treatment is still only symptomatic relief (comfort measures) and there is still no vaccine against it, nor any particularly effective treatment. It has a 25% fatality rate.
I’m glad we had our trip to S. Korea in April before this news broke. I think I’d be nervous, but H’s friend is planning to have a return trip there later this year. On the other hand, there may be some good bargains on tours there with this news.
There is one case in Thailand as well, in an older patient who wasn’t improving in Oman and flew to Thailand for hospital care there. It’s Thailand’s first case. Folks shouldn’t panic, but should be aware. South Korea is very concerned about the impact on its economy and consumer spending.
Maybe it’s becoming easier to spread? Maybe it’s a new mutation of MERS? I guess time will tell. South Korea is very concerned as it has risen to 31 as of an hour ago and there is one new case.
It seems that the virus (a coronavirus) spreads quite quickly in closed spaces where there is close, prolonged contact between infected persons and caregivers, such as in hospitals. Great.
The page I cited was last updated 6/22/2015, so it’s still quite current as well. Sadly, I literally cannot tolerate wearing any mask over my nose or mouth for any length of time and am a high risk person, as is my H (we both have asthma+). Gee, maybe I’m done traveling for this calendar year! I’ll stay out of hospitals too!
I’ve been aware of this outbreak for quite a few weeks already, in that I am a Hallyu wave enthusiast, and have been closely following all things Korean, as well as self-studying the language (which is hella fun!). One of the youtube channels to which I subscribe talks about the MERS outbreak in one of its vids. Anyone interested might like to hear what Sun Hyunwoo has to say about the impact of MERS in Korea.
It shoud be fine–as Romani and the Q&As point out, MERS is NOT highly contagious and the biggest risk is to the healthcare providers who don’t use proper contagious protection procedures. That said, it never hurts to be vigilant about germs while flying, IF your kiddo will listen (mine tend to do their own thing).
cbreeze, yes I do very enthusiastically watch Korean dramas. I subscribe to two different streaming services that offer old, as well as concurrently running Korean dramas for a small monthly fee. Watching dramas (which my D introduced me to) fueled my interest, and eventual love for the Korean language. I tend to only watch the ones set in contemporary Korea. The historical ones tend not to hold my interest, this despite the fact that the costumes and sets can be mesmerizingly beautiful. I did enjoy a fusion fantasy/sageuk called, Goo Family Book a couple of years ago, though. Watching the dramas helps me with my language learning/comprehension, and pronunciation.
Kpop is another of my newly-found appreciations. Catchy tunes and lyrics are another extremely fun way of augmenting my Korean study.
Musicmom, how has your D been enjoying her adventure as a English teacher in Korea? I subscribe to the channels of a number of vloggers who came to Korea in order to teach English, and then found ways to stay after their contracts were up.
@poetsheart because of you, I have had a Kpop song stuck in my head for the last week… I have absolutely no idea what they’re saying, and I’m sure I’m not even “hearing” the right words in my head but it is there lol.
LOL, romanigypsyeyes. Are we talking about SHINee’s “View”? That one’s an earworm for sure. But if you need a palate cleanser, check out BTS’s “Dope.” The choreo alone in that one will blow your mind. b-(
My D has enjoyed her stay there. She is currently teaching 5-year-olds, and they say the funniest things. There is a strong community of expats and she has many English-speaking friends. She has not really learned the Korean language like I thought she would, but she speaks English at her job and with her friends, so can get by with only knowing a little Korean. Her original contract was for a year. She came home for about 5 weeks after the first stint but went back again. I have not seen her in 16 months, so I am ready for her to come home.
Are the costumes similar to the bride/groom wears in their “traditional” wedding ceremony (Is it called “Paebak”?) If yes, I personally do not think they are mesmerizingly beautiful. Especially, the hat the groom is supposed to wear looks silly (to me.) The king in an ancient dynasty in China wore a hat like that.
I am interested in learning Korean culture in general, but I am not into KDrama per se.
Musicmom, it’s not too surprising that your D has learned little Korean, because from what I understand, the schools encourage them to speak as little Korean to the students as possible, and they usually don’t arrange formal Korean lessons for their English teachers. Also, because the expat community is so strong there, it’s possible to never make any meaningful friendships with Korean nationals, but instead forge one’s entire network of friendship and support among other English speakers. Also, I’ve heard that Koreans can be quiet difficult to get to know on an intimate basis, not only due to the language barrier, but because of a cultural tendency to forge friendships by introduction from others they already know and trust. Many English speakers are daunted by these things, and give up fairly early on the idea of making close friendships with Korean natives. But, there are some very determined and gregarious youtubers who have managed to do just that.
Has your D ever visited a place, that’s been open for about a year now (I believe in Itewan?) called the You Are Here Cafe? It’s co-owned by a Canadian couple who have lived in Korea for going on about 8 yrs, and a Koean native who runs an internet based Korean language school called Talk To Me in Korean. They each have thriving YouTube channels, and one could learn a lot about Korean language and culture by tuning in to these on a regular basis.