No new MERS cases for 11th day as of July 16.
South Korea reported no additional cases of Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) for the 11th straight day on Thursday, with no
fatalities occurring since Friday as well, the health ministry
said.
The number of people diagnosed with MERS in the
country remained unchanged at 186, and the MERS death toll also stayed flat at
36, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
There
were 258 people in isolation as of Thursday as suspected cases following
possible exposure to the MERS coronavirus, down 64 people from the day before,
it said.
Since the country reported its first case on May
20, nearly 16,700 people have been subject to isolation for possible infection.
So far, 16,432 of them have been released after showing no symptoms of MERS for
more than the known maximum incubation period of 14 days for the
disease.
Out of those diagnosed with MERS, 133 have been
discharged from hospitals following complete recoveries, up one compared with
the day before.
Of the remaining 17 receiving treatment in
hospitals, four are in unstable condition.
MERS is a viral
respiratory disease that is still fairly new to humans. The disease has claimed
over 530 lives globally, posting a fatality rate of over 36
percent.
In South Korea, the fatality rate stands at 19.4
percent, with most of the people succumbing to the illness having had underlying
medical conditions. The ministry said 91.7 percent of the people who died were
being treated for cancer or had serious heart, lung or kidney
conditions.
There currently is no vaccine or treatment for
the disease that was first reported only in 2012 in Saudi Arabia.
(Yonhap)
