Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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                     7th Person Dies of MERS in South Korea

   by VOA News

   The South Korean Health Ministry has announced the death of a seventh
   person from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS.

   The ministry said Tuesday the victim is a 68-year-old woman who had
   been in the emergency room of a Seoul hospital, where previous
   infections have taken place.

   It also said there are eight new cases of the outbreak, bringing the
   total number of infections to 95.

   "We confirmed that there are a total of 95 cases of MERS. But [among
   them] nine patients are in unstable condition until this morning," said
   disease control center official Jeong Eun-kyung.

   The outbreak has led to more than 2,500 people being placed under
   quarantine for suspected contact with MERS patients. Health officials
   say they are tracking the quarantined people's cell phone signals to
   make sure they abide by the quarantine measures.

   South Korea also has closed down nearly 2,000 schools in an effort to
   stop the spread of the virus.

   All cases of the infections have taken place in health care facilities.

   On Sunday, the government reversed its policy and revealed the 24
   health care facilities where MERS patients have been diagnosed or
   treated.  The revelation of the names of the facilities follows the
   discovery that one location had an unusually high number of MERS
   cases.

   Deputy Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said Sunday that because all the
   MERS cases have been hospital associated, "we think we have a chance at
   putting the outbreak under total control."

   Some other governments in the region have issued warnings to their
   citizens about traveling to South Korea.

   Japan on Tuesday said it has set up a task force to help its citizens
   there deal with the spread of the virus.

   "By setting up the local task forces, we are giving our utmost effort
   in gathering and providing information for the safety of Japanese
   nationals overseas," said Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.

   MERS, a coronavirus, is related to the one that infected thousands
   during the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or
   SARS.  It has no cure or vaccine.  MERS was first reported in Saudi
   Arabia in 2012 and has spread to several other countries.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/mers-south-korea-another-death/2813146.html