MERS virus infections cases on a rise in South Korea
SEOUL: South Korea recorded its sixth death and biggest single day jump in Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) infections on Monday, with 23 new cases in the largest outbreak of the potentially deadly virus outside Saudi Arabia.
South Korea became the world’s second-most MERS-contagious country after Saudi Arabia, where over 1,000 cases have been identified since the first case was reported in 2012.
The outbreak has triggered widespread public concern in South Korea, with 2,300 people placed under quarantine orders and nearly 1,900 schools, mostly in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi province, closed down.
Among the 23 new cases, 17 were infected at the Samsung Medical Centre in southern Seoul, the health ministry said.The World Health Organization (WHO) is slated to send a team to South Korea this week to review and assess the situation.
