초록(영문)
The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS) is a zoonotic pathogen that has a very high fatality rate of over 40% and the vaccine against MERS is not available. The outbreak of the MERS has caused 186 confirmed cases in the Republic of Korea as of July 2015 within two months. Most of confirmed cases in South Korea involve not only intra-hospital transmission but hospital-to-hospital transmission. The first patient was infected at Pyeongtaek St. Mary’s Hospital where 20& of cases have been affected. 50% of cases were infected at the emergency room of the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul where the 14th confirmed stayed. In this study, we focus on the transmission of MERS outbreak at Pyeongtaek St. Mary’s Hospital and Samsung Medical Center. We construct the mathematical model for two hospitals to match the dynamics of MERS outbreak during May~July 2015 in South Korea. Furthermore, we attempt to simulate the process of infection to understand the dynamics of spreading the virus among individuals at the emergency room at the Samsung Medical Center. Finally, we consider four different scenarios in terms of the periods that the first case stays at the Samsung Medical Center as well as impact of the interventions to prevent close contacts with the infected cases. The results can help evaluate the effective control interventions.