MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Two people in South Korea have died from the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), Korea Herald reported Tuesday, citing the country’s Ministry of Health and Welfare.
According to the Ministry's spokesperson, the two victims were a 71-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman.
Middle East respiratory syndrome is a viral respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (MERS‐CoV). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the typical symptoms of MERS include fever, cough and shortness of breath.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, there have been about 1,200 cases of MERS registered since March 2012, when the disease was first identified. Of them over 1,000 cases occurred in Saudi Arabia and 76 — in the United Arab Emirates. The disease has killed 479 people.
