South Korea announces ‘de facto end’ to MERS

London : South Korea has declared a ‘de facto end’ to the outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Virus (MERS). Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said that no new infections had been reported in the last 23 days, adding public could now be ‘free from worry,’ reported the BBC. He also apologised for the government’s ‘much-criticised’ response to the virus that killed 36 people in South Korea since it arrived in May. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that it will not yet declare MERS over officially. A spokeswoman in Manila said that the agency needed 28 days, twice the virus’s incubation period, without a new infection to make the announcement.