Fifth Mers death in South Korea

Fourteen more cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) have been confirmed in South Korea and a fifth person has died, health officials say. The total number of patients has risen to 64, making it the biggest outbreak of Mers outside the Middle East. The person who died was a 75-year-old man who had been in a Seoul hospital alongside other sufferers. More than 1,600 people have now been quarantined, in a bid to stop the spread of the virus. Mers was first indentified in humans in 2012 and originated in the Saudi Arabia. It is caused by the coronavirus and can cause fever, breathing problems, pneumonia and kidney failure. Of the 14 new cases in South Korea, 10 were at the same hospital in Seoul. All of the confirmed infections have taken place in healthcare facilities, officials said. Medical authorities have been criticised for the way they have handled the outbreak. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon accused central government of not providing enough information to citizens about the virus. But Health Minister Moon Hyung-pyo rejected the claim, saying such comments risked increasing public concern. Mers has a death rate of 27%, according to the World Health Organization.