MERS is a viral respiratory illness spread through close
contact with infected patients, usually through coughing or sneezing. Symptoms of MERS include fever, coughing, shortness of breath and, in severe cases, pneumonia and kidney failure, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is no vaccine for the illness that has a death rate of 38 percent.
South Korea’s worsening health crisis is the largest outbreak of MERS ever seen outside of the Middle East. At least 20,000 travelers from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan have canceled their trips to South Korea in light of the outbreak that has killed six and affected at least 87 people. Nearly 2,000 schools across South Korea have shuttered classes and 2,300 people possibly exposed to the virus have been quarantined as the country struggles to contain the outbreak.
Health officials have traced the origin of the outbreak to a 68-year-old man who returned to South Korea after traveling through several Middle East countries.
Not everyone has taken up the “ask selfie” trend. One Korean pop star was recently questioned for not wearing a surgical mask Saturday while in Hong Kong for a performance. Singer Kim Jong-kook, 39, said he didn’t want to wear the mask because it would keep his fans from seeing his face, according to K-Pop Herald. "Many of my fans here come out to get a glimpse of me,” Kim told reporters. “If I wear the mask, these people won‘t be able to get a clear sight of me. I don’t like it."
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