South Korea reports fourth death from Mers as Seoul declares 'war on virus'
WHO team set to visit country amid concerns that the virus has mutated - shown a 'slightly different' pattern from the one detected in Middle East
South Korea announced today that a fourth patient died from the Mers virus outbreak, as the case of a doctor who attended public meetings while infected fuelled fears of a fresh surge in cases and prompted Seoul’s mayor to declare “war” on the virus.
Five new cases overnight took the number of infected people to 41, in what has become the largest Mers outbreak outside Saudi Arabia, with close to 2,000 people in quarantine or under observation.
The latest fatality was a 76-year-old male patient who died on Thursday after testing positive for the virus on May 21.
That case comes shortly after the country’s third Mers death was confirmed, that of an 82-year-old man who was diagnosed after he died in hospital on Wednesday night. He was originally being treated for asthma and pneumonia but was placed under quarantine after other patients in his ward tested positive for Mers.
Criticised for its lack of transparency in addressing the health scare, the Health Ministry finally confirmed the name of the hospital where the first patient to be diagnosed with Mers was treated.
The ministry said anyone who had visited the hospital in Pyeongtaek, about 65 kilometres south of Seoul, between May 15-29 should report to a clinic for screening.