MERS Spreads Across South Korea: Death Toll Now Stands at 33

Number of MERS cases rises to 186 with 962 in quarantine, said South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare.

TOKYO (Sputnik) – A new Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) case was registered in South Korea, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 186, the country’s Ministry of Health and Welfare said Sunday.

So far, the death toll remains unchanged: MERS has taken the lives of 33 people, while 116 MERS patients have been discharged, according to the ministry.

#MERS in #SouthKorea: Unclear what the final fatality rate of this outbreak will be; 41 cases are still hospitalized pic.twitter.com/b2WMURsmIS

— Maia Majumder, MPH (@maiamajumder) July 5, 2015

At least 982 people remain in quarantine, the smallest figure in the past month.

The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome is a viral respiratory disease caused by the MERS-coronavirus. The infection was first reported in 2012 in Saudi Arabia and subsequently spread to other countries.

The recent virus outbreak started in South Korea in May. Among the reasons for the infection’s outbreak were overcrowded emergency rooms and insufficient safety measures taken at the country's hospitals.