Seoul With the death of a 65-year-old man yesterday after being infected with the MERS virus while receiving treatment for lung cancer at a hospital, The death toll by MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) rose to 10 in South Korea, making it the largest outbreak outside Saudi
Seoul
With the death of a 65-year-old man yesterday after being infected with the MERS virus while receiving treatment for lung cancer at a hospital, The death toll by MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) rose to 10 in South Korea, making it the largest outbreak outside Saudi Arabia.
The health ministry of South Korea said that Seoul has reported 14 new cases, including the first infection of a pregnant woman. The new diagnoses brought the total number of confirmed cases to 122.
Of the 14 new cases, eight were infected at Samsung Medical Centre in Seoul, a major hospital where 55 people have contracted the virus.
A 39-year-old woman in her final trimester of pregnancy was among those confirmed yesterday to have acquired the virus at the hospital.
Another victim contracted the virus at a hospital in Hwaseong City, 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Seoul, and five others are under investigation to discover how they were infected.
More than 3,800 people who came into close contact with those infected are under quarantine, either at their homes or at health care facilities.
The first infected patient was diagnosed on May 20 after a trip to Saudi Arabia. The 68-year-old man visited four medical facilities, infecting other patients and medics, before he was finally diagnosed, sparking criticism that authorities had bungled the initial response.
