Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin told a news conference that a 75-year-old businessman from Oman had tested positive for MERS.“From two lab tests we can confirm that the MERS virus was found,” Rajata said, adding the man had travelled to Bangkok for medical treatment for a heart condition.“The first day he came he was checked for the virus.
The vast majority of MERS infections and deaths have been in Saudi Arabia, where more than 1,000 people have been infected since 2012, and about 454 have died. Last month, a MERS outbreak erupted in South Korea resulting in 23 deaths so far. A total of 165 people have been infected and 6,700 people are in quarantine.But there have been signs that the outbreak, the largest outside of Saudi Arabia, may be slowing in South Korea. The daily number of new cases has dropped to single digits this week compared to as many as 23 last week. Three were reported today – the lowest number since June 1.All of the infections known to have occurred in South Korea have taken place in healthcare facilities.
