Sixty-Six Suspected of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in Thailand

Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has assured that health authorities have taken precautions to prevent the spread of MERS virus in the country.

In Thailand, the government is keeping track of 66 people suspected of having contracted the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) after coming into contact with a 75-year-old man from Oman confirmed as the country's first confirmed case.

Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin said there are three groups of "high-risk" people. The first group comprises the three relatives of the patient, consisting of his son, younger brother and nephew.

MERS Sparks Mask Rush in Asia, but They are Hardly Effective Against the Virus
The MERS virus, which arrived in South Korea with a businessman travelling in the Middle East, has sparked a rush of orders at a small Japanese mask-maker.

The second group contains 16 passengers who sat in the same row or two rows in front or behind the infected man on the flight. The last group comprises 47 hospital staff who treated the patient after he was admitted.

Meanwhile, at least 75 people who came into contact with the patient have been adjudged to be at "low risk" due to the short length of time they spent together with the infected man, the minister said.

Officials will monitor their health for two weeks for any symptoms. The infected man is currently in a stable condition, health officials said.

MERS Outbreak may Lower South Korean GDP by 0.3%: Nomura Bank Report
The Nomura report calculates South Korea's gross domestic product (GDP) will grow by 2.2% in 2015, instead of 2.5% due to the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in the country.

Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has assured that authorities have taken precautions to prevent the spread of MERS and are well prepared to contain the virus.

He said, stringent measures were put in place when MERS first emerged in South Korea on May 20, which so far has killed 24 people and infected 166 others.

South Korea Reports No New MERS Cases or Deaths: The Health Ministry
It was for the first time in 16 days that no new cases of MERS outbreak were reported in South Korea as the outbreak appeared to have started subsiding.

Source-IANS

North Korea Claims to Have Developed a Cure for MERS, Ebola, AIDS, SARS
Developed by North Korea's Pugang Pharmaceutic Company, the drug is known as Kumdang-2, and is made of extracts from ginseng with the injection of rare earth elements.