South Korea MERS Death Toll Climbs to 19

Tokyo (PNA/Sputnik) — The death toll from an outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea has risen to 19, the country’s Health Ministry said Tuesday.

Four new cases of the virus in the East Asian nation were revealed, bringing the number of confirmed cases to a total of 154.

South Korea confirmed its first MERS case on May 20. Since then, about 5,200 people have been quarantined in South Korea amid the outbreak.

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 then spread to other countries.

The virus is transmitted from camels to people, with limited human-to-human transmission, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The infection causes such symptoms as fever, cough and shortness of breath.

There is currently no vaccine for MERS. (PNA/Sputnik) JBP/SSC