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Review
. 2015 Dec;47(4):278-302.
doi: 10.3947/ic.2015.47.4.278. Epub 2015 Dec 30.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Infection Control and Prevention Guideline for Healthcare Facilities

Jin Yong Kim  1 , Joon Young Song  2 , Young Kyung Yoon  3 , Seong-Ho Choi  4 , Young Goo Song  5 , Sung-Ran Kim  6 , Hee-Jung Son  7 , Sun-Young Jeong  8 , Jung-Hwa Choi  9 , Kyung Mi Kim  10 , Hee Jung Yoon  11 , Jun Yong Choi  12 , Tae Hyong Kim  13 , Young Hwa Choi  14 , Hong Bin Kim  15 , Ji Hyun Yoon  16 , Jacob Lee  17 , Joong Sik Eom  18 , Sang-Oh Lee  19 , Won Sup Oh  20 , Jung-Hyun Choi  21 , Jin-Hong Yoo  21 , Woo Joo Kim  2 , Hee Jin Cheong  2
Affiliations
Review

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Infection Control and Prevention Guideline for Healthcare Facilities

Jin Yong Kim et al. Infect Chemother. 2015 Dec.

Abstract

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is an acute viral respiratory illness with high mortality caused by a new strain of betacoronavirus (MERS-CoV). Since the report of the first patient in Saudi Arabia in 2012, large-scale outbreaks through hospital-acquired infection and inter-hospital transmission have been reported. Most of the patients reported in South Korea were also infected in hospital settings. Therefore, to eliminate the spread of MERS-CoV, infection prevention and control measures should be implemented with rigor. The present guideline has been drafted on the basis of the experiences of infection control in the South Korean hospitals involved in the recent MERS outbreak and on domestic and international infection prevention and control guidelines. To ensure efficient MERS-CoV infection prevention and control, care should be taken to provide comprehensive infection control measures including contact control, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, disinfection, and environmental cleaning.

Keywords: Disinfection; Infection control; Middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus; Personal protective equipment; Quarantine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: This guideline was developed with the support of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, Korean Society for Healthcare-associated Infection Control and Prevention, and Korean Association of Infection Control Nurses. We hereby declare that the researchers participating in the development and review of this guideline did not receive any research grant that could potentially influence the finalized guideline and that they were not influenced by any particular interest groups.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Control of close contacts of a laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV infection case.
MERS-CoV, middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; MERS, middle east respiratory syndrome.
Figure 2
Figure 2. A schematic of the procedures for donning/doffing of PPE depending on the physical space arrangement.
PPE, personal protective equipment
Figure 3
Figure 3. Triple-packaging of diagnostic specimens (Category/Package: primary container, secondary container, outer package).
Figure 4
Figure 4. Movement of the autopsy team: taking off shoes and clothes and wearing a surgical gown and other PPE in the dress-in room (1), entering the autopsy room (2), taking off PPE and performing hand hygiene in the dress-out room (3), re-entering the dress-in room to put on the shoes and clothes (4) (adapted from WHO guideline [11]).
PPE, personal protective equipment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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