S Korea declares end to MERS outbreak
South Korea yesterday declared the effective end to a deadly outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) that killed 36 people, triggered widespread panic and stymied growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy.
Addressing a meeting of government officials in Seoul, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn said the danger posed by what was the biggest outbreak of the virus outside Saudi Arabia was over.
The virus is considered a deadlier but less infectious cousin of SARS. Criticised for its initial response to the outbreak, the government introduced sweeping quarantine measures that saw nearly 17,000 people confined to their homes.
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