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New Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) Infection in South Korea and Implications for Public Health Surveillance in FranceOn May 20, 2015, South Korea notified the WHO of the first case of MERS-CoV diagnosed in the country: a 68-year-old patient who had traveled to the Arabian Peninsula from April 18 to May 4, 2015. As of June 16, 2015, South Korea had confirmed and reported 154 cases, including 19 deaths. All cases have an epidemiological link to the index case or to secondary cases: at least six hospitals in four different cities have been affected, with more than 3,500 contacts who have been monitored and nearly 2,000 contacts who are still being monitored. This is the first time such a large cluster has been reported outside the Arabian Peninsula.The emergence of secondary cases among the contacts of a hospitalized person is not new: two hospital clusters in Saudi Arabia involved several dozen cases, and other nosocomial transmissions have occurred in England, France, and the United Arab Emirates.In response to this new alert, the InVS has temporarily modified the case definition(1) to include as a possible case any person who has worked at or visited a healthcare facility in South Korea and has developed an acute respiratory infection, regardless of severity, within 14 days of their last contact with that facility. Any person who, within 14 days of returning from South Korea, has presented with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is also considered a possible case. To date, the MERS-CoV outbreak has remained primarily localized to the Arabian Peninsula region. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan are the three countries reporting the majority of cases; the number of exported or secondary cases outside the Arabian Peninsula (n=100) represents a small proportion (9%) of the total number of cases reported by the WHO.The Directorate General of Health reminds healthcare providers that when a suspected case presents for consultation, it is advisable to follow protective measures (hand hygiene, wearing a mask, isolation if possible). It is recommended not to send the patient directly to an emergency department but to contact the SAMU-Centre 15 for evaluation and management.