Sample Test of S. Korean death in Vietnam shows negative to MERS

Vietnam's National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology said Friday that the sample test results on a South Korean who suffered from unexplained sudden death in the country showed negative to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Coronavirus.

The institute also carried out tests on those who had contacts with the South Korean national and who have traveled to the virus- affected areas within the past 14 days.

Results of these tests will be available late on Friday, Vietnam's state-run radio VOV quoted the institute as saying on Friday.

Earlier on Wednesday, the General Department of Preventive Medicine (GDPM) under Vietnam's Ministry of Health received information that a South Korean died in central Thanh Hoa province, some 140 km south of capital Hanoi.

The South Korean national had lived together with a group of workers in Thanh Hoa's Nghi Son economic zone. Two among the workers have just returned from South Korea to Vietnam.

As soon as learning the information, a working group by the GDPM went to Thanh Hoa to inspect and quarantine those who had contacts with the dead.

For those returning from South Korea to the economic zone in the past 14 days, they will self-quarantine in their accommodation and receive health monitoring, said the GDPM.

So far, Vietnam has reported no case of MERS.

As of Friday, the number of South Koreans infected with the MERS increased to 126, the South Korean health ministry said. Endi