South Korea reported another death from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome on Sunday, along with seven new cases that brought the total number of MERS patients to 145.
A 61-year-old man died on Sunday afternoon while receiving treatment at a hospital in the southern port city of Busan, according to a city official.
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The latest victim is believed to have come down with the virus after visiting a relative at Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul, who had been sharing the same hospital ward with a MERS patient at the time.
Busan city officials said the man did not have any other special health conditions, aside from having weak liver function.
The latest fatality has pushed up the number of MERS-related deaths to 15 since the respiratory illness was first confirmed in the country on May 20.
Of the seven new patients confirmed earlier on Sunday, four were infected while visiting or being treated at Samsung Medical Center, according to the Health and Welfare Ministry.
The hospital has been identified as a major source of infection as nearly half of those diagnosed with the respiratory illness are believed to have been infected while visiting the hospital in the capital.
On late Saturday, the hospital announced its decision to partially shut down its operations. A hospital official later said the temporary shutdown will be effective at least until June 24.
Following a mass number of infections at the Seoul hospital, some hospitals reportedly have refused to treat or accept patients who have been to Samsung Medical Center.
Health ministry officials said refusing to provide treatment to those who have been to Samsung hospital may be punishable under the medical law that prohibits unauthorized rejections to treat those in need of medical attention.
Out of the seven new cases, two were believed to have been infected at two different hospitals while one is believed to have caught the disease while accompanying a MERS patient in an ambulance.
The government had maintained all transmissions had occurred at hospitals that had housed a MERS patient, mostly unknowingly.
This had given some assurance that people outside of hospitals may still be safe from the potentially deadly disease.
Ministry officials noted, however, that no longer may be the case after an ambulance driver who had transported two MERS patients last week was diagnosed Saturday.
The World Health Organization also warned the country to brace for a drawn-out battle against MERS.
“Because the outbreak has been large and is complex, more cases should be anticipated,” Keiji Fukuda, an assistant director-general of WHO, told a press conference on Saturday.
The WHO official had led a joint response team of WHO and South Korean officials to identify the source and factors driving the outbreak here. The team’s four-day investigation came to an end Friday.
MERS is a viral respiratory illness that was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Since then, some 1,100 cases had been confirmed throughout the world until the outbreak here was confirmed on May 20.
Some 4,850 people were in isolation as of Sunday for possible infection after coming in close contact with MERS patients, according to the ministry.
Out of those diagnosed, 10 have been released from the hospital following complete recoveries with another patient expected to be discharged later in the day, ministry officials said.
What the government has labeled groundless fears against MERS were apparently taking a toll on the local economy as many people were beginning to avoid visiting not only hospitals but any public places.
The Finance Ministry earlier said it will provide up to 400 billion won ($358 million) in emergency relief funds to businesses, including hospitals, and communities affected by MERS.
On Sunday, the ministry said it will form a special task force to check the economic impact of MERS on a daily basis and come up with countermeasures. (Yonhap)
