The first German death from the recent outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has been confirmed.
Reuters reports that a 65-year-old German man who had been infected with the virus earlier this year has died in the northwestern German town of Ostercappeln on June 6, authorities confirmed today. The patient died due to complications stemming from MERS. There have abeen no indications that the man infected others. Thus far, over 150 have been infected in South Korea, of which 19 have died.
RT reports that the World Health Organization (WHO) is set to hold an emergency session on June 16 to address the outbreak, which is the largest outside the Middle East.
Impact on Travel
According to new data released by travel marketing firm Sojern, the outbreak, which had already been making an impact on South Korea's economy, is beginning to have an effect on travel in other countries as well.
Sojern reports that there has been a week-on-week average decline in travel searches of about 23 percent from June 3 through the 10th for travelers in Germany, the U.S. and the UK. Travel searches saw declines as high as 40 percent from Japan and Hong Kong for the same period.
Searches rebounded, however, on June 11 across Germany, the UK and the U.S., while so far only Japan has rebounded in the Asia-Pacific region. Searches from Singapore and Malaysia continue to decline.
Keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for further updates to this developing story.