Disease

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Update

South Korea says it now has a total of 150 cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Another person has died of the disease, bringing the number of fatalities in the outbreak to 16.

More than 5,200 people in South Korea are currently under quarantine for the virus, for which there is no vaccine. The disease has a mortality rate of 35 percent, according to the World Health Organization.

People suffering from other underlying medical conditions are the most likely to become infected with the virus or have a severe case.

The rapid pace at which the illness has spread, making it the biggest outbreak outside Saudi Arabia, has caused alarm in South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy.