South Korea Reports Jump In MERS Cases; Total Reaches 87, Including 6 Deaths

Agence France-Presse: S. Korea reports sixth MERS death, surge in infections
“South Korea recorded its sixth death and biggest single-day jump in Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) infections Monday, with 23 new cases in the largest outbreak of the potentially deadly virus outside Saudi Arabia. From just four cases two weeks ago, the total number of infections now stands at 87, including six people who have died…” (Ha-Won, 6/8).

BBC News: Sixth MERS death in South Korea amid sharp rises in cases
“…About 2,300 people have been placed under quarantine and nearly 1,900 schools have been closed. On Monday morning, a man in his 80s became the latest person to die of MERS-related illness in Daejeon, about 140km (87 miles) south of Seoul…” (6/8).

New York Times: MERS Cases Rise in South Korea, Health Officials Say
“…Officials revealed the names and locations of all 24 hospitals that had had confirmed cases after critics accused the government of helping stoke fear and risking a spread of the virus by withholding the information. So far, confirmed cases have infected others only in six of the 24 hospitals they passed through…” (Sang-Hun, 6/8).

Reuters: South Korea reports 23 new cases of MERS virus, total rises to 87
“…Seventeen of the new cases come from the same Seoul hospital emergency room where the country’s first patient remained before being confirmed MERS-positive, the ministry said…” (Park, 6/7).

Reuters: Hong Kong sets ‘serious’ response to South Korea’s MERS outbreak
“…South Korean President Park Geun-hye said the progress of MERS, which has been spreading in South Korea since last month when a businessman brought it home from a Middle East trip, had to be halted, a day after authorities began using mobile phones to trace people who violate quarantine…” (Park/Kim, 6/8).

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