Airflow as a Possible Transmission Route of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome at an Initial Outbreak Hospital in Korea

Minki Sung, Seongmin Jo, Sang-Eun Lee, Moran Ki, Bo Youl Choi and JinKwan Hong
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Minki Sung: Department of Architectural Engineering, Sejong University, 209, Seoul 05006, Korea
Seongmin Jo: Department of Architectural Engineering, Sejong University, 209, Seoul 05006, Korea
Sang-Eun Lee: Division of Vectors and Parasitic Diseases, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cheongju 28159, Korea
Moran Ki: Department of Cancer Control and Population Health, Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Korea
Bo Youl Choi: Department of Preventive Medicine, Hanyang University Medical College, Seoul 04763, Korea
JinKwan Hong: Department of HVAC & Firefighting Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Korea

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-11

Abstract: In this study, the results of an airflow investigation conducted on 7 June 2015 as part of a series of epidemiologic investigations at Pyeongtaek St. Mary’s Hospital, South Korea, were investigated. The study involved 38 individuals who were infected directly and indirectly with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), by a super-spreader patient. Tracer gas experiments conducted on the eighth floor, where the initial patient was hospitalized, confirmed that the tracer gas spread to adjacent patient rooms and rooms across corridors. In particular, the experiment with an external wind direction and speed similar to those during the hospitalization of the initial patient revealed that the air change rate was 17–20 air changes per hour (ACH), with air introduced through the window in the room of the infected patient (room 8104). The tracer gas concentration of room 8110, which was the farthest room, was 7.56% of room 8104, indicating that a high concentration of gas has spread from room 8104 to rooms across the corridor. In contrast, the tracer gas was barely detected in a maternity ward to the south of room 8104, where there was no secondary infected patient. Moreover, MERS is known to spread mainly by droplets through close contact, but long-distance dispersion is probable in certain environments, such as that of a super-spreader patient hospitalized in a room without ventilation, hospitals with a central corridor type, and indoor airflow dispersion due to external wind.

Keywords: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome; infection outbreak; airflow analysis; transmission route; ventilation; tracer gas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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