MERS in South Korea

In South Korea, an outbreak of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) had killed 33 people and sickened at least 185 more as of press time.

The outbreak was traced back to a Korean man who returned from a trip to the Middle East in early May and sought medical care at several hospitals before being diagnosed. At one point, more than 6,700 people who may have been exposed were kept in quarantine. On June 26, after 14 days with no new MERS cases, two hospitals in Daejeon had their quarantines lifted.

This is the largest MERS outbreak to have occurred outside of Saudi Arabia. An Omani man who contracted MERS in Oman was diagnosed while visiting Thailand in June. No more cases had been reported in Thailand. 

A viral respiratory disease, MERS was first identified in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. Symptoms include fever, coughing, shortness of breath and often pneumonia. MERS is not very contagious and can be transmitted only through close, physical contact. It is believed that camels are the source of the disease.

The World Health Organization does not recommend any travel restrictions due to MERS.