MERS South Korea Outbreak 2015 News Update: Death Toll Rises to 16; More Cases Detected

Another patient with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus has died in South Korea, bringing the total number of deaths to 16.

CNN on Monday reported that the higher death toll was confirmed by the South Korean Health Ministry. At least five new cases of MERS virus have also been detected, raising the total number of cases to 150.

Despite these new reported cases and fatality count, Reuters said most of the schools that closed last week have already reopened upon World Health Organization's (WHO) nod. WHO last week stressed that MERS transmission has not been connected with schools.

President Park Geun-hye also took time to encourage her people and even the business sector to return to normalcy. Not only that, it was also revealed that thousands of tourists have already cancelled their visits. This corresponds to millions in lost revenues. 

"I ask the business community, too, to continue to go on with investment, production and management activities as normal and particularly help with ensuring that consumers don't hold back from spending money," the South Korea president was quoted as saying in the Reuters report.

Meanwhile, Samsung Medical Center was identifed as the "center of the spread" of the virus after it has been learned that nearly half of the cases are from there, BBC reported. Hospital president Song Jae-hoon had apologized, adding that the center would be stopping treatment and surgery, and refusing new patients and even visitors.

BBC in its report also revealed that the 38-year-old South Korean man who was suspected for possible MERS virus in Slovakia tested negative, though he will still continue to undergo more testing.

On weekend, the WHO downplayed the possibility of the MERS virus outbreak turning into a pandemic. In an Associated Press report (via The New York Times), WHO Assistant Director Keiji Fukuda said that the outbreak is "large" and "complex" and that more cases are still expected. 

According to a WHO fact sheet, MERS is a "viral respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (MERS‐CoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012."

Symptoms include:

- fever

- cough

- shortness of breath

- pneumonia

- gastrointestinal symptoms.

Most of the cases were "human to human infections." Camels have also been identified as an animal source though transmission routes have remained unknown. Bats were believed to be the origin of the virus. There is still no treatment or vaccine currently available for MERS.