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Only teen MERS patient recovers following successful brain tumor surgery

June 22, 2015

In this Thursday, June 18, 2015, file photo, an official wearing a mask as a precaution against the MERS virus works with a South Korean national flag in the background at Dongdaemun District Office in Seoul, South Korea. The head of the World Health Organization on Thursday praised beleaguered South Korean officials and exhausted health workers, saying their efforts to contain a deadly MERS virus outbreak have put the country on good footing and lowered the public risk. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

By Kim Se-jeong

A teenager who was diagnosed with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has recovered from the disease and was sent home, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Monday.

The 16-year-old boy, whose name was withheld, was the first and only teenage patient. He is one of 50 patients that have recovered from the virus, which has killed 29 people in Korea.

The boy was confirmed as a MERS patient on June 4 after contracting the disease at Samsung Medical Center (SMC) where he was being treated for a brain tumor. He was admitted to the hospital on May 27 and received surgery to remove the tumor. He showed no sign of complications involving respiratory problems, according to a ministry official. His father who was with him to care for him also contracted the virus.

The teenager’s case took the health authorities by surprise in the beginning, because it was believed children were virtually immune to the virus.

No other adolescents have been confirmed with the disease, but hundreds of teenagers remain under medical surveillance.

The number of isolated teenagers rose quickly after a teacher in Pohang was confirmed to carry the virus 10 days ago. She got the virus from SMC where her ailing mother was treated. She taught students without the knowledge of her infection after visiting her at the hospital.

One couple is also among the 50 survivors. The two stayed in the same hospital ward at Pyeongtaek St. Mary’s Hospital in Gyeonggi Province where the first MERS patient was treated. The couple were looking after for a sick daughter and were confirmed with the infection on June 1 and 2. Their daughter their not infected, however. The 43-year-old husband was released on June 18, followed by his 39-year-old wife, who returned home on Monday.

The rising number of recovering patients has made authorities hopeful that an end to the MERS outbreak in Korea is near.

The authorities say internal consultation is underway, and they will seek help from the World Health Organization to judge when to declare an end to the outbreak. On Sunday, the health ministry said it will be sometime after June 28.