Merciless Virus: Number of MERS cases in South Korea rises to 145

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MOSCOW — Seven new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) were confirmed in South Korea on Sunday taking the total to 145, CNN reported citing the country’s Ministry of Health.

Fourteen people have died from the virus in the East Asian nation since it had been first diagnosed in a 68-year-old man returning from the Middle East, last month.

The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome is a viral respiratory disease caused by the MERS-coronavirus. The infection was first reported in 2012 in Saudi Arabia and then spread to other countries.

MERS is transferred from camels to people, with limited human-to-human transmission, according to the WHO. The infection triggers such symptoms as fever, cough and shortness of breath. There is currently no vaccine for MERS.