MERS cases, fatalities remain flat

The number of people diagnosed with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea remained unchanged for 34 days at 186 as of Saturday.

The country's death toll from the disease also has remained unchanged at 36 for the past 28 days.

Ten patients are still hospitalized, but nine have already tested negative for the disease and are recovering from other complications caused by MERS.

MERS is a viral respiratory disease that is also known as camel flu and is often linked to countries in the Arabian Peninsula, including Saudi Arabia, where the disease was first identified in 2012.

South Korea reported its first case on May 20. The fatality rate of the disease currently stands at 19.35 percent, lower than the roughly 36 percent tallied globally. (Yonhap)