A 58-year-old woman and a 71-year-old man have died in South Korea following infection with the MERS-CoV coronavirus.
South Korean health authorities announced on Tuesday that two infected people had succumbed to the MERS-CoV coronavirus. According to the national news agency Yonhap, it would be a 58-year-old woman and a 71-year-old man who tested positive on May 28. According to initial information, the two patients suffered from acute respiratory deficiencies, one of the symptoms of the coronavirus.
700 people placed in quarantine
The MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic continues to escalate in South Korea and China. Korean authorities have announced that 25 people have contracted the virus and nearly 700 are currently in quarantine.
Park Geun-hye, the South Korean president, criticized the health authorities on Monday for their “inadequacy” in terms of the management of the epidemic. Since then, it has been decided to temporarily ban people exposed to the coronavirus from leaving the country to prevent its spread.
Saudi Arabia, main focus of the virus
At present, more than 20 countries are affected by this virus for which there is no vaccine or treatment. Since 2012, 400 deaths have been counted in Saudi Arabia, the main focus of the virus. MERS-CoV very often presents with fever and respiratory signs which can cause severe pneumonia in patients.The National Institute for Health Watch (InVS) recalls on its site that the maximum incubation period is 14 days.
Since 2012, theWorld Health Organization (WHO) has recorded over 1134 cases of MERS-CoV infection. Of these, more than 420 were fatal. She recommends avoiding drinking raw camel milk or eating meat that is undercooked. There is currently no vaccine or treatment to fight this disease, whose mortality rate exceeds 40%.
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