OUTBREAK

Two Die From MERS in South Korea

17 cases reported.

South Korea confirmed Tuesday that two people have died of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), marking the nation’s first fatalities from the disease. The cases included a 58-year-old South Korean woman who had contact when she visited the Middle East and a 71-year-old man. South Korea has reported 17 cases since last month, while more than 680 people who may have had contact with infected patients have been quarantined at their homes or at state-run facilities, according to health ministry official Kwon Jun-wook. There have been 1,167 cases of MERS worldwide and 479 people have died from the virus, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.