MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The death toll from the MERS outbreak, which started in South Korea in May, stands at 25, while the total number of those infected with the virus amounts to 169, the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare said Saturday.
"The government has a duty to ensure the people's rights to be cautious by revealing a list of hospitals where MERS patients stayed and to provide detailed information on other places visited by them," Moon Jeong-gu said as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.
He added that the authorities had kept the information about the outbreak secret during 19 days since the first MERS case was confirmed, making it impossible for the people to take necessary precautions.
"This lawsuit is not intended to seek any compensation from the state but to have the judicial branch confirm that the government failed to properly deal with the outbreak at the initial stage and leave this as a national record."
