South Korea has declared an end to the country's first Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in three years.
The announcement was made in line with guidelines set by the World Health Organization.
Yoon Jung-min reports.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the official declaration as the clock struck midnight.
According to the KCDC,... the announcement was in line with guidelines set by the WHO,... which requires that no new infections be reported for a minimum of 28 days,... which is twice the length of the virus' incubation period.
This comes as one person was diagnosed with MERS in September after returning from a three-week business trip to Kuwait,... becoming the first confirmed case of MERS in the nation since 2015,... an outbreak which resulted in 38 deaths.
On September 21st,... the KCDC lowered its alert level to its lowest readiness posture,... as 21 people who came into close contact with the initial patient all tested negative.
MERS is a viral respiratory disease with a fatality rate of 20 to 46-percent,... and is caused by a novel coronavirus carried by camels.
It can spread when someone is in close contact with a patient for a sustained period.
Experts say in order to prevent MERS spreading,... it's important to wash your hands thoroughly.

"Because colds and MERS can be spread through hand shaking or rubbing your eyes or nose, you can prevent the spread of the virus by washing your hands often."

The first MERS case was recorded in Saudi Arabia,... and it has since spread to numerous other countries.
As of June this year,... the WHO has reported over two-thousand confirmed cases of the virus.
Yoon Jung-min , Arirang News.