Around a month after death of country’s last remaining Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) patient, gov’t formally announces end of outbreak that killed 38
South Korea was officially MERS-free Thursday, having passed midnight without any new cases of the deadly flu-like virus that left a devastating impression following its arrival in the country last May.
Among 186 local infections, a 38th fatality was recorded last month as a cancer patient succumbed to MERS-related complications.
The South then needed to go through two full 14-day incubation periods without any pending cases, according to World Health Organization guidelines.
After doing so, the government was able to declare a formal end to its first ever brush with MERS, which is thought to have originated in bats before spreading to camels.
South Korea's initial case involved a man who had returned from the Middle East -- the virus then swept through dozens of healthcare facilities, exposing major flaws in hospital management.
Only Saudi Arabia has recorded more infections since the virus emerged there in 2012, albeit with a significantly higher fatality rate of around 40 percent.
Seoul's health ministry vowed to better cope with any future outbreaks, according to local news agency Yonhap.
Most of the damage was done months ago, with the last new infection being reported at the start of July.
At the height of the panic, the impact reached far and wide -- schools shut down, thousands of citizens were quarantined and even more tourists shunned South Korea altogether.
