Korean Expat Community for National Disasters

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Hi, I am from Congo, was living in korea as an exchange student in 2015. An outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus occurred in South Korea from May 2015 to July 2015. The virus, which causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), was a newly emerged beta coronavirus that was first identified in a patient from Saudi Arabia in April 2012. MERS, can cause fever, breathing problems, pneumonia and kidney failure. MERS, resulted in nearly 17,000 suspected cases and 38 deaths. During the outbreak, we lived in fear, and the school was shut down for a while.

Developing clear guidelines for the public, conducting comprehensive testing and contact tracing made compliance easier. The country successfully managed the outbreaks. South Korea isolated infected patients, increased compliance by supporting those in quarantine, and traced contacts with unusual thoroughness.

Some people were involved in manipulating the facts on the MERS outbreak and then spreading rumours through the Internet or mobile phones. Further, given the Korean culture, many people did not realize that it was not advisable for them to visit the infected patients in hospitals and share their drinks or foods. Also, a few infected residents attempted to go to public places without permission from the government. However, the majority of residents considered the MERS outbreak to be a national emergency and thus paid attention to its progress by exchanging relevant information. 

The frustrating situation being in a foreign country was too much and made people to panic but thankfully to the support that we received from school it helped us mentally to be assured that we were safe.