In about a week after the discovery of the first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in the nation, Korea now has five MERS patients. More suspect cases are being reported.



Korean health authorities said the disease was mildly contagious, despite a 40 percent fatality rate. The sheer speed of the affliction undermines the credibility of their words.



Health and Welfare Minister Moon Hyung-pyo apologized Wednesday for the MERS cases, and vowed stronger quarantine, management and transparency in dealing with the disease. These are steps that should have been in place as preventive measures.



The first patient was a man, 68, who returned from a Middle East trip, including a visit to Saudi Arabia. He had to go through several hospitals, and it took about nine days to confirm his diagnosis. In the process, he is assumed to have spread the disease to his wife, a 70-something man patient who shared the hospital room with him, the other man's daughter and the doctor.



In the case of the daughter, she had asked for voluntary testing and quarantine after showing a runny nose, coughing and a slight fever, but was turned down. This incident is telling of how complacent or inflexible the authorities may have been in their response to the disease.



The relatively new viral strain was first discovered in Saudi Arabia in 2012. More than 1,100 cases have been reported, about 98 percent in the Middle East. But the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said that as of Wednesday, Korea marked the country with most MERS patients outside the Middle East.



Health authorities should have been more on alert for MERS since there are no vaccines or treatments yet available for the disease. More disturbing is the World Health Organization's finding that "critical gaps in knowledge remain" regarding the disease.



The KCDC said that they are prepared, having opened the preventive task team for MERS in 2013. We hope their words are true.



If possible, KCDC should collaborate with international organizations or other countries that have already dealt with MERS.



The pending questions are whether there are sufficient resources to provide necessary care if the number of cases should mount.



More than 60 people ― the family members of the first three patients and the medical staff of the hospitals they visited ― have been ordered to stay home and not contact other people. Health authorities, experts and the public should work, not with obstinate complacency, but with diligence and transparency.



