WHO Calls For Emergency Meeting to Deal With Increasing Cases of MERS In South Korea

South Korea has recorded 126 cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome since the outbreak of the virus in Saudi Arabia.

As the death toll from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus rises in South Korea, the World Health Organization has called for an emergency meeting.

South Korea has suffered the largest outbreak of the virus outside Saudi Arabia. A 72-year-old woman became the latest fatality after being infected by a MERS patient at a hospital, taking the death toll in the country to 11.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) - Causes Symptoms Treatment Prevention
MERS, a newly discovered respiratory disease, was recently reported in the Arabian region. MERS is caused by a virus similar to that causing common cold and other respiratory illnesses.

So far, 126 cases have been recorded in South Korea since May 20, 2015 when the first case surfaced.

Currently, 3,680 people are under quarantine. A total of 1,249 people have been released from quarantine.

WHO’s 'emergency committee will meet' to discuss the crisis, spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva. "The number of new cases is decreasing, but we have to monitor the situation. The committee will determine whether the current outbreak constitutes a global health emergency crisis," he said.

South Korea Hit by the Largest Outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
South Korea is reeling under the worst case of MERS outbreak, which has already claimed nine lives, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 108.

MERS symptoms range from flu-like aches and pains to pneumonia and kidney failure. The virus is considered a deadlier cousin of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which appeared in 2003 and killed more than 800 around the world.

Globally, some 1,200 people have been infected with MERS and some 450 have died since the virus first emerged in 2012.

South Korean President Orders Proactive Measures to Minimize MERS Impact on Economy
Citizens in South Korea have refrained from outside activities for fear of being infected with the MERS virus. Tourism, too, has taken a hit in the country.

Source-AFP

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