MERS Virus Update: South Korea Confirms Seventh Death

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South Korea announced that the MERS virus has claimed a seventh victim, while hundreds more were quarantined and 8 new cases were diagnosed. 

The latest casualty was a 68-year old woman, who was suffering from heart conditions. She was exposed to the virus upon making contact with a MERS patient when she was hospitalized on May 27–28 at Seoul's Samsung Medical Center, reports Yonhap.

All deaths are mainly from older adults with pre-existing conditions. Diagnosed cases were also mostly adults with the exception of a 16-year-old boy.

According to Time, there are now more than 2,800 people on quarantine or isolated, 95 confirmed MERS cases and 1,800 schools that have been closed down since the outbreak began last May 20.

South Korean news agency Yonhap also reported that the government has named all 29 hospitals associated with the disease.

"The government has decided to switch to an all-out response system as if it was seeking to eliminate the disease this very week," said acting Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan in a meeting with officials.

"This week may be very crucial to overcoming MERS. The government will mobilize all available resources and necessary budget to help eradicate the disease at the earliest date possible," Kyung-hwan added.

All quarantined patients are tracked through their cell phones to ensure that they stay at home. Those who have been caught will be possibly fined with three million won ($2,670), according to Yahoo News.

The latest outbreak has prompted several countries to impose tighter border controls.

Approximately 25,000 people have already cancelled trips to the country from June 5 to June 7, according to Bloomberg.

Japan is taking stricter measures to prevent the virus from entering their country.

"We are taking all measures to respond to the MERS outbreak," said Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. "We are properly carrying out border controls to ensure it doesn't enter Japan."

Meanwhile, Indonesia has released a travel advisory for South Korea travel.

Since its discovery in Saudia Arabia in 2012, MERS has now infected more than 1,200 people all over the world with more than 400 deaths mostly occurring in the Arabian Peninsula, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 

MERS is a respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus with no known cure or vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus reportedly came from animals. Common symptoms include: coughing, fever, diarrhea, nausea and shortness of breath.