No need for travel bans due to MERS: World Health Org

No travel bans are needed to contain a South Korean outbreak of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

The organization's Emergency Committee said the outbreak is generally under control thanks largely to government efforts to trace potential contacts from initial infections. However, the outbreak that has killed 19 people and sickened 162 isn't over.

The outbreak started last month when a Korean flying from Bahrain tested positive. The patient also flew to China.

However, South Korea quickly informed China of the infected traveler, enabling the country to quickly locate and quarantine contacted people.

Not everything is known about how the virus is transmitted, including whether poor ventilation could lead to an infection, WHO said.

While WHO lauded South Korea on parts of its response, the UN agency called the outbreak a "wakeup call" and that in a highly mobile world all countries need to be prepared for similar outbreaks.

source: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/