If You Experience Respiratory Symptoms After Visiting the Middle East,
Report Immediately
The city of Ulsan has issued a warning to travelers visiting Saudi Arabia during the Hajj pilgrimage period (June 4?9), urging them to take special precautions against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and meningococcal infections.
There have been no cases of MERS in South Korea since 2018 (1 case), with the previous outbreak in 2015 (186 cases, 38 deaths), and no cases have been reported in Ulsan.
However, since MERS continues to occur in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, travelers to the region are advised to exercise extra caution regarding infectious diseases and their prevention.
The city plans to collaborate with the Ulsan Foreign Resident Support Center to provide prevention guidelines to foreigners through its website, Facebook, and other social networking services (SNS), and to conduct active community monitoring.
Additionally, as multiple cases of meningococcal infection related to Hajj pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia have been reported in some countries, travelers to Saudi Arabia are recommended to receive a meningococcal vaccine at least 10 days before departure.
Travelers are advised to check with nearby medical institutions regarding the availability of meningococcal vaccines (such as Menveo and Menactra) before visiting.
The number of domestic meningococcal infection cases was 10 from 2020 to 2022, 11 in 2023, and 17 (provisional statistics) in 2024.
An official from Ulsan City stated, "If travelers to the Middle East develop symptoms within two weeks after returning to Korea, please do not visit medical institutions directly, but immediately contact the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency call center or your local public health center."
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