The MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) virus has not received the same hysterical media coverage as Ebola but it has already killed at least 444 and infected over 1,200. South Korea has the highest number of victims outside the Middle East and is taking drastic action to contain the disease.
The disease was first identified in humans in 2012 and is caused by a coronavirus similar to the one that triggers SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). However, at 38%, MERS has a much higher death rate.
South Korea has introduced strict quarantine rules. Nearly 2,000 people are under quarantine, some in health care facilities but most at home, including an entire village of about 105 people in the south-west.
Back in October, I wrote about the use of mobile phone data to model the spread of Ebola. The South Korean Government is taking the idea one step further, using mobile phone data to verify the location those under quarantine.
Unlike Ebola, human-to-human infection is unlikely in the community, according to the WHO. The key is to prevent it spreading between medical facilities.
The government has been criticised over its lack of transparency in handling the outbreak. However, on Sunday it identified 24 health facilities where infections took place or patients with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome visited.
Patient Zero in the South Korean outbreak is believed to be to a man who returned from a business trip to the Middle East in May. His wife has recovered and has been discharged from the hospital.
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