Statistics show young people less likely to be infected with MERS 사우디 메르스 통계 ＆

While health authorities here in Korea are trying to learn more about the disease， parents are becoming more concerned about the potential risk to their children. But，... a 2014 report shows that young children are far less likely to contract MERS than people in other age groups. Sohn Jung－in has more. According to a study by a joint group of international researchers， only three percent of MERS cases in Saudi Arabia were in children under 14 years old. The report，... which featured in the International Journal of General Medicine last year，... analyzed the epidemiological pattern of the MERS coronavirus when 425 cases were recorded in the country between June 2013 and May 2014. The study showed older people were more likely to contract the virus. Those in their 60s and older made up the highest number of cases， accounting for 32 percent of all infections. Patients under the age of 29 were less likely to die from MERS，... with a fatality rate less than half the average rate of 40 percent. The highest rate was seen in the 45 to 59 age group with 55 percent， followed by those in their sixties or older. What′s noticeable was that the lowest fatality rate occurred in the 30 to 44 age group. Health experts say it′s too early to conclude that the younger the age， the lower the likelihood is of contracting MERS. They also say a higher risk of exposure could be one explanation for the higher incidence of MERS in certain age groups. Doctors advise staying healthy and eating right because，... as with any other viral infections，... people with weak immune systems are more susceptible to the virus. Sohn Jung－in， Arirang News.