Prepare for the next outbreak

By Deauwand Myers

MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) has gripped Korea with angst and panic. Hundreds of schools were recently closed, economic activity has slowed and worries grow among the populace about its containment, mode of transmission and government protocols meant to protect the general public.

As with Ebola in America, the fear of MERS comes from our general uncertainty about it. Members of the international medical community are less concerned than we are as, unlike SARS (of which MERS is a distant cousin), they know what MERS is, and unless it has undergone radical mutations, MERS is fairly difficult to transmit. It is, unfortunately, incurable, and there's no treatment for it in terms of antiviral medications or vaccines.

Like a lot of scandals in democratic societies, the cover up is worse than the crime. No reasonable person blames the government, or the Park Administration, for not recognizing MERS for what it was when it first arrived in Korea. No one knew to look or test for it.

The problem is that after it was discovered, the initial response was grossly insufficient, leading to a spread of the disease. Only recently have extraordinary measures been taken to contain the virus and properly quarantine those possibly infected.

Worse still, the shroud of secrecy created by the government, about where the most infected areas of the country are located, which hospitals have quarantined patients and how long should we all be on high alert, only increases fear, and even hysteria, from some in the citizenry.

The secrecy, in fact, is probably the worst part of President Park's handling of this crisis. Light is the best kind of disinfectant, and transparency, particularly about matters of public health and public safety, would go a long way in calming every one. The idea that opacity and obfuscation work better in the age of digital media and instant information shows how misguided and out-of-date the Park administration can be.

One of the biggest criticisms of President Park's tenure, besides not keeping some of her election promises (e.g. better taxation, more gainful employment for young adults, higher wages for the working and middle classes, and a more family friendly workplace environment) is fairly straightforward. She often selects political allies who are not qualified, or so tainted by scandal, as to be ineffective as leaders in their various posts.

There were complaints about the Ministry of Health's leadership long before the MERS scare, and one wonders if more qualified people would have done a better job at earlier detection and containment of the disease.

As with the Sewol tragedy, the slow, inept, and uncoordinated efforts in response by the government after an emergency erode confidence in the government and heighten anxiety and anger amongst the body politic.

Information would be most helpful to all involved. There's no good outcome in continuously hiding facts and figures about the MERS outbreak and its ramifications.

Korea has one of the best medical systems in the world, and its medical professional class is amongst the best educated and most talented of any OECD country. Korea has the resources and resolve to tackle MERS in a coordinated and effective manner.

Hiding behind government secrecy not only frightens people, it shows that the government lacks confidence in its own ability to handle crises, only reifying the notion that our tax dollars are being wasted on a governing class ill-equipped to do the most basic and most solemn of its duties: protect us.

What I find most worrying about the MERS outbreak is the lessons not learned by the Sewol disaster. Coordination among various government agencies dealing with emergency response and logistics is still uncoordinated, slow to action, not integrated, and lacks effective leadership.

This is worrisome for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is North Korea, an ever-present danger. A wholesale war is unlikely, but flare-ups and aggression are not unheard of. The sinking of the Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island are examples.

If the very slow sinking of a ferry, or the infectious outbreak of a rare disease cannot be managed by the government, how then can Korea coordinate an effective response to a surprise attack from the North? Sure, the American and Korean militaries continuously plan for such a scenario, but then, so does the Korean CDC for possible outbreaks of disease.

The government is here to protect and serve. Embarrassing and tragic failures of government to prevent, protect, mitigate and contain disasters and the like will invariably happen, even amongst wealthy nations (America's 9/11, Katrina and the recent mistaken shipping of live anthrax to Korea and Australia are all examples).

The frequency and severity of said lapses is the key. How will Korea prepare for the next outbreak, flooding, typhoon or economic calamity? One hopes much better than this most recent case.

Deauwand Myers holds a master's degree in English literature and literary theory, and is an English professor outside Seoul. He can be reached at deauwand@hotmail.co m.