Mers outbreak in South Korea prompts travel warning for UAE citizens

Thousands of schools in South Korea have been shut in the wake of the Mers outbreak.

UAE citizens are being asked to avoid travelling to South Korea in light of the spread of Mers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

As of yesterday evening, four people in the East Asian country had died after contracting Middle East respiratory syndrome corona virus, with five more cases reported.

In the two weeks since the outbreak was first noted, more than 41 people have been infected, forcing officials to close more than 1,300 schools.

According to South Korea’s ministry of health and welfare, a 76-year-old man died on Thursday, the state news agency Wam reported.

The man, whose identity was not revealed, was diagnosed on May 21 after coming into contact with the country’s first Mers patient, who reportedly caught the disease while travelling to the Middle East in mid-April.

The World Health Organisation said yesterday: “Based on current data and WHO’s risk assessment, there is no evidence to suggest sustained human-to-human transmission in communities and no evidence of airborne transmission. However, Mers-CoV is a relatively new disease and information gaps are considerable.

“WHO remains vigilant and is monitoring the situation. Given the lack of evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission in the community, WHO does not advise special procedures at points of entry, or travel or trade restrictions with regard to this event.”

Worldwide there have been at least 442 related deaths since 2012.