Korean authorities 'may be making the Mers outbreak worse', says Hong Kong expert on Sars

An expert on Sars has hit out at the South Korean government over its handling of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) outbreak, and warned the situation "could get out of control" if there is not a cultural change in the way officials handle the problem.

One more patient died from the virus in the country on Wednesday night. The 83-year-old man was the first death of a patient among so-called third-generation cases - people who caught the virus from someone infected by a primary source. His death brought the number of deaths in South Korea to three.

South Korean media said the man had underlying diseases and had no contact with the country's first confirmed case. He was only confirmed to have been infected with Mers in tests done yesterday after his death.

Six new Mers cases were reported in South Korea yesterday, putting the total number of confirmed cases in the country at 36.

University of Hong Kong microbiologist Ho Pak-leung described the Mers outbreak in South Korea as "worrying and deteriorating", and criticised the government's handling of the problem. "Medical standards in [South] Korea are good, especially in plastic surgery," he said. "But the way they are handling infection controls is quite shocking to me. I am worried it may be making things worse."

South Korean media said Mers-infected patients had visited 14 hospitals in the country, but authorities would not name the institutions.