South Korea reports 4 new MERS cases, death toll reaches 19

South Korea's health ministry reported four new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) on Tuesday, bringing the total to 154 in an outbreak that is the largest outside Saudi Arabia.

The ministry also said three patients infected with the MERS virus had died, taking the death toll to 19 in an outbreak that began in May.

Officials say over 150 people have now contracted the virus in South Korea.

Meanwhile, a 38-year-old South Korean man in Slovakia tested negative for the virus, but will remain in quarantine for further testing. He has symptoms such as diarrhoea, fever and skin lesions. The man reportedly works for a subcontractor of South Korean car maker Kia.

A hospital in Seoul has suspended most of its services after being identified as the source of almost half the cases. The president of the Samsung Medical Center issued a public apology on Sunday and said the hospital would stop treating outpatients and admitting new patients to prevent further infections among patients and medical staff He said no visitors would be allowed, and non-urgent surgery was being stopped.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the outbreak is "large and complex" with further cases expected.

Inputs from ANI