S. Korea reports 1 more MERS infection, 2 deaths

South Korea on Friday reported one more case of infection with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and two deaths, bringing the total contagion cases to 181 and the death toll to 31, the health ministry said.

The new case was a doctor of the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, who contracted the virus while treating the patient 135 at the hospital, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Two patients, who had already suffered from cerebral infarction and bladder cancer each, passed away overnight, raising the fatality rate to 17.1 percent.

Seven more patients were discharged from hospitals as they completely recovered after being infected. The number of those discharged increased 81.

Excluding the dead and those discharged, 69 patients are still under treatment. Among them, 13 infectees are in unstable conditions.

The number of those quarantined rose from 2,642 on Thursday to 2,931 on Friday.