South Korean President Park Geun-hye called on government agencies Monday to mobilize all resources available to contain the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus, noting that the government bungled its initial response to its outbreak.

She also stressed the need to enhance preventive measures against infectious diseases at a time when new infectious diseases can spread across borders, South Koran News Agency (Yonhap) reported.

“I hope that a joint task force composed of government and civilian experts will mobilize all health resources to prevent any further spread of the disease,” Park said in a regular meeting with her top aides at the presidential office.

Her comments came as the total number of MERS infections reached 18 in South Korea since the first case was reported on May 20.