WHO Warns MERS Outbreak in South Korea

The World Health Organization warned of a bigger outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) as South Korea’s health ministry reported five more cases Wednesday, bringing the total to 30 cases and two deaths since it was first reported in the country last month. More than 1,360 people who came in contact with infected patients have been isolated. The ailment, which can cause fever, coughing, shortness of breath, and kidney failure, is caused by a coronavirus and belongs to the same family as the common cold or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The nation’s outbreak is the biggest outside of Saudi Arabia, which has prompted President Park Geun-Hye to call an emergency meeting with top health officials and more than 200 primary schools to shut down.