ARIRANG NEWS 22:00
Hello... and thanks for joining us for our late night newscast coming to you from Arirang′s News Center in Seoul.
I′m Mark Broome.
12 new MERS patients reported in Korea; total rises to 138
We start with the latest on the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or MERS outbreak in Korea.
Twelve more patients were confirmed with the virus today,.. bringing the total number to one-hundred-38.
The health ministry says one of the newly confirmed patients includes an ambulance driver who last week transported two people diagnosed with the MERS virus in the third-phase endemic.
This is the first report of a fourth-generation transmission and it dims the chance of the outbreak bring brought under control anytime soon.
The death toll from the outbreak now stands at 14 after a 67-year-old woman died, while receiving treatment at a hospital.
The ministry says the woman had already suffered from health problems which were apparently worsened by the MERS virus.
All of those who have died in this outbreak have been elderly or people suffering from existing ailments.
On a more positive note,... the number of patients who have gone on to make full recoveries has risen to ten.
On top of that,... more than two-hundred-70 medical workers who were under quarantine at Pyeongtaek St. Mary′s Hospital have been released after the 14-day incubation period ended with none of them showing symptoms.
The hospital is where Patient number one stayed between May 15th and 17th, spreading the disease to 36 others.
MERS outbreak in Korea large and complex: WHO
A joint team of experts from Korea and the World Health Organization has warned the country to expect more MERS cases in the coming weeks.
Reporting their findings on Saturday,... the team said the outbreak has been larger and more complex than similar occurrences seen in other parts of the world,... but stated there′s no indication the virus was spreading beyond hospitals.
"At present,... the mission has found no evidence to indicate that there is an ongoing transmission in the community."
However,... the WHO official stressed there will continue to be more sporadic cases of patients contracting the virus at affected hospitals.
Admitting the outbreak could continue for some time,... the WHO team said it′ll take several weeks for the current government measures to take what they called "perfect effect."
They also advised schools that have closed over fears of the virus to resume classes,... saying the closures are not based on scientific grounds and only serve to increase panic.
Understanding survival strategy of MERS
As Korea battles the MERS outbreak, it′s worth noting the virus is relatively new.
It was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, and it started between animals.
Now, many are asking how it evolved to infect humans.
Sohn Jung-in explains.
Virologists believe the virus originated in bats,... and through long-term contact, it adapted to infect came

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