South Korea’s President Postpones U.S. Trip As MERS Case Total Reaches 108, 9 Deaths

Agence France-Presse: Park postpones U.S. trip as South Korea MERS toll hits nine
“South Korean President Park Geun-Hye has postponed a planned trip to the United States, her spokesman said Wednesday, amid growing public alarm at the MERS outbreak which has now claimed nine lives…” (Ha-Won, 6/10).

New York Times: South Korean Leader Postpones U.S. Trip Amid MERS Outbreak
“…In South Korea, 108 cases had been confirmed by Wednesday, and nine people had died. … As the number of MERS cases has steadily increased in the past two weeks, the president’s approval ratings have plunged below 40 percent, according to recent surveys…” (Sang-Hun, 6/9).

Reuters: WHO team urges South Korea to reopen schools as more close in MERS crisis
“A joint South Korean-World Health Organization mission studying an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) recommended on Wednesday that schools be reopened, as they were unlikely to spread the disease, just as school boards recommended more be shut…” (Kim/Park, 6/10).

Wall Street Journal: MERS Outbreak in South Korea Prompts Park Geun-hye to Postpone U.S. Trip
“…Those who died had other serious illnesses before contracting MERS, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said. The new cases of infection are also of people under quarantine, supporting the view of officials that the outbreak is contained…” (Gale, 6/9).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

KFF Headquarters: 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107 | Phone 650-854-9400
Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270

www.kff.org | Email Alerts: kff.org/email | facebook.com/KFF | twitter.com/kff

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news, KFF is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.