Photographer: Louie Douvis/Bloomberg via Getty Images Photographer: Louie Douvis/Bloomberg via Getty Images
SINGAPORE — Singapore Airlines (SIA) has said that it plans to fully vaccinate its staff against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) next year in the wake of deadly cases of the disease in South Korea.
In 2018, 29 people have died due to MERS, of which 28 were in South Korea, according to the country’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The country last year suffered the outbreak of the disease, which is also known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, for 10 weeks. MERS is a severe respiratory disease that is caused by the coronavirus, which is found in camels and can be transmitted to humans.
With the world preparing for the annual flu season, experts say that the spread of MERS is likely to increase over the coming months as people tend to sneeze and cough more. In March, the World Health Organization estimated that there are more than 30,000 known cases and more than 9,000 deaths worldwide each year, according to the Independent.
According to the World Health Organization, people who have recently come in contact with an infected person are usually at risk for MERS infection, but it is not nearly as infectious as other diseases. The virus also rarely poses a threat to the elderly, pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions.
Read the full story at The Independent.
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