以南韓爆發群突發事件認識中東呼吸症候群冠狀病毒感染症

Recognition of Middle East respiratory syndrome by the outbreak in South Korea

世界衛生組織（WHO）自2012年9月公布全球第一例中東呼吸症候群冠狀病毒感染症病例，已在沙烏地阿拉伯及其臨近國家陸續發現確診病例，之後甚至傳至歐洲數個國家及美國，它被認定將形成一嚴重的公衛威脅，因為每年皆有來自184個國家超過百萬的回教徒到沙烏地阿拉伯參加麥加朝聖活動。所幸，2013及2014年皆未有個案因朝聖之旅而得到感染。南韓卻於2015年5月起發生大規模的群突發事件因而引起全球關注，疫情延燒了一個多月終漸趨緩和。該國所發生的一連串感染傳播，其防疫漏洞廣被各界討論，台灣亦有與南韓相類似的探病陪病文化及急診壅塞問題，需深深引以為鑒。

After the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the first case in September 2012, confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) have been found in Saudi Arabia and its neighboring countries, a number of European countries and United States. MERS has been imposing a serious threat to the public health in that millions of Muslims from 184 countries annually gather in Saudi-Arabia to participate in the Hajj activities. From 2013 to 2014, no MERS cases were found from people involved in the pilgrimages. Unfortunately, in May 2015 a MERS epidemic emerged in South Korea, which once progressively enlarged and the epidemic lasted for approximately one month before being contained with the implementations of effective infection control measures and patient quarantines. Similar to problems found in South Korea, visiting hospitalized patients by relatives or friends, hospital shopping practice by patients and overcrowded emergency services are popular in Taiwan. We may learn a lesson of how the outbreak occurred and how to prevent it from the MERS epidemic in South Korea.