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First Case of MERS Confirmed in Thailand, 59 People Remain Under Observation

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Thailand announced its first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, on Friday after a 75-year-old businessman from Oman was diagnosed at a hospital near Bangkok.

According to Reuters, the unnamed man first arrived in the Southeast Asian nation on Monday to seek medical treatment for a heart problem at a private hospital.

Thai Health Ministry officials said it took them four days to verify the case, raising concerns that the deadly virus may have spread in the interim, Reuters reports.

A total of 59 people are being monitored for symptoms after coming into contact with the infected man, who is now being held in quarantine at an infectious-disease clinic. Thai Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin told Reuters that three of those under observation have already been hospitalized.

The announcement comes as South Korea’s MERS outbreak appears to be stabilizing. Twenty-four people have died from the virus in the East Asian country, while a total 166 people have been infected.

Thai businesses have already been affected by the latest case, according to Reuters, with shares in the operator Airports of Thailand dropping 4.2% to their lowest value in three weeks.

[Reuters]

 

See South Korea’s Latest Fashion Accessory: Face Masks to Fight MERS

MERS south korea face masks
Elementary school students wear masks as a precaution against the MERS virus as they wait for a lesson to start at Midong Elementary School in Seoul on June 9, 2015.Chung Sung-Jun—Getty Images
A student has her temperature taken by a teacher outside the Sungshin elementary school in Seoul on June 8, 2015.
A student has her temperature taken by a teacher outside the Sungshin elementary school in Seoul on June 8, 2015. Ed Jones—AFP/Getty Images
MERS south korea face masks
A woman wearing a mask walks out from a clothing shop at Myeongdong shopping district in central Seoul on June 11, 2015.Kim Hong-Ji—Reuters
MERS south korea face masks
A group of students wearing face masks pose for a "selfie" as they sit on a street in the popular student area of Hongdae in Seoul on June 7, 2015. Ed Jones—AFP/Getty Images
MERS south korea face masks
A couple wearing face masks walk on a street in Seoul on June 9, 2015. Ed Jones—AFP/Getty Images
MERS south korea face masks
A couple wearing face masks walk beneath the Wonhyo bridge, before the northern city skyline, at Yeouido park in Seoul on June 7, 2015.Ed Jones—AFP/Getty Images
MERS south korea face masks
A woman wearing a face mask sleeps on a bench in Yeouido park in Seoul on June 7, 2015.Ed Jones—AFP/Getty Images
MERS south korea face masks
A woman wearing a mask stands in front of the stairs at an underground passageway in central Seoul on June 12, 2015. Kim Hong-Ji—Reuters
MERS south korea face masks
A couple wearing masks looks at each other as they ride on an escalator in Seoul on June 11, 2015. Kim Hong-Ji—Reuters
MERS south korea face masks
A woman wearing a mask takes a nap as she rides a subway train in Seoul on June 12, 2015. Kim Hong-Ji—Reuters

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