We start with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or MERS outbreak in Korea.
Let′s go straight to Kim Ji－yeon who has been following this story and joins us at
the news center.
Ji－yeon， what′s the latest？
An 82－year－old male who was suspected of having a tertiary MERS infection died Wednesday
night.
He was receiving treatment for kidney failure in a hospital in Daejeon.
Health authorities are currently trying to verify if his death was indeed due to the
virus.
Meanwhile， the health ministry confirmed five new MERS patients today…
bringing the total up to 35.
Two of the five new patients are medical workers that were treating the country′s first confirmed
patient.
Also， a Korean Air Force officer at the Osan Air Base has been isolated after testing
positive for MERS in an initial test.
The Health Ministry′s Center of Disease Control will perform additional tests to make
a final MERS confirmation.
If it′s positive， it would be the first case of MERS in the Korean military.
Some 60 soldiers who may have been in contact with the suspected patient are quarantined
in their homes... to prevent further infection.
Jiyeon， it′s now common to spot people wearing masks in Seoul，... over 700 schools
have voluntarily shut down this week， and there are more than 16－hundred currently
in quarantine.
But health authorities seem certain the virus can be contained.
At this point， do we have to worry about tertiary transmission？
Well， the health ministry just said they believe the virus can be transmitted through
saliva，... so if an infected patient coughs within two meters of you，... it′s possible
to contract the virus.
But officials maintain that an infection isn′t necessarily deadly.
A lot of it depends on the strength of your immune system.
MERS may be more dangerous for those already suffering from respiratory issues or kidney
failure or anyone using steroids， which are known to weaken the immune system.
The first patient who died due to the virus was 57－years－old and was being treated
with steroids due to arthritis.
The second MERS death was a 71－year－old patient who was suffering from chronic lung
disease.
In contrast， some of the cases suggest that the MERS virus may not be immediately lethal
to an average person with a functioning immune system.
A case in point a 43－year－old male patient and his 39－year－old wife were picked up
the virus when they visited the hospital ward that held the first confirmed patient... to
take care of their child who was receiving treatment there.
Their infections were confirmed earlier this week... but so far they are not suffering
from any of the symptoms...
including high fever， coughing etc.
The MERS outbreak in Korea is being reported worldwide because it has many implications
for other countries， most notably China，... where they′re holding a Korean patient who
flew to the country before he was confirmed.
How is he doing？
Health authorities in China′s southern Guangdong province say his c