DHAKA: South Korea reported three more deaths from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) on Thursday, bringing the number of fatalities to 23 and amplifying fears that authorities do not have the virus outbreak under control after the World Health Organization (WHO) criticized their response.

Three more cases of the virus were also confirmed, despite authorities’ claims earlier in the week that South Korea had weathered the worst of the crisis.

The number of infections now stands at 165, in what is the largest outbreak of Mers outside Saudi Arabia, reports The Straits Times.

Of those cases, 24 people have been cured and released from hospital but 17 are in an unstable condition and further fatalities are feared.

The WHO said on Wednesday that the South Korean outbreak was a ‘wake-up call’ and that a lack of awareness about the virus among health workers and the public was a major contributing factor to its rapid spread.

Mers patients had been kept in crowded emergency rooms for long periods, it said, and the practice of ‘doctor shopping’ – visiting multiple hospitals for second and third opinions – was also a contributing factor.

BDST: 1550 HRS, JUN 18, 2015
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