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South Korean PM says MERS threat is over

SEOUL — South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn says the country is now virtually free of the deadly MERS virus that killed 36 people and sickened nearly 200 since an outbreak was declared in May.

Elementary school students wearing masks to prevent contracting Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) wait in a line outside their classroom at an elementary school in Seoul, South Korea, June 9, 2015. Photo: Reuters

Elementary school students wearing masks to prevent contracting Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) wait in a line outside their classroom at an elementary school in Seoul, South Korea, June 9, 2015. Photo: Reuters

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SEOUL — South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn says the country is now virtually free of the deadly MERS virus that killed 36 people and sickened nearly 200 since an outbreak was declared in May.

Mr Hwang in a meeting with policymakers today (July 28) urged people to return to normal as the country hasn't seen a new MERS case in more than three weeks and there is no longer anyone isolated at hospitals and homes for treatment.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome was discovered in 2012 and the cases had been mostly centered in Saudi Arabia before the outbreak in South Korea. The MERS virus belongs to the family of coronaviruses that includes the common cold and SARS, and can cause fever, breathing problems, pneumonia and kidney failure.

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