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S. Korean dies after showing symptoms resembling MERS

November 6, 2018

- A South Korean man who had just returned from a four-month business trip to Iraq died after showing symptoms resembling those of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Incheon City authorities said Tuesday.

The 60-year-old man died at a hospital in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, after returning home Monday, Park Sung-ho, a spokesman for the Incheon Metropolitan City, said over the phone.

“Initially, he lost consciousness after suffering a sudden high fever, one of the major MERS-related symptoms, on Tuesday morning and was brought to a hospital. But he died soon after,” the spokesman said.

He tested negative for MERS. He suffered from diabetes and cerebrovascular disease and appears to have died due to the chronic illnesses, Park said.

On Sept. 8, South Korea confirmed its first MERS virus infection in three years when a 61-year-old man tested positive for the disease after a business trip to Kuwait. He was subsequently released from quarantine after several tests showed he was in good health and posed no threat of spreading the disease.

South Korea reported its first outbreak of MERS in 2015, which resulted in the deaths of 38 people.