S. Korea reports 11th death from MERS outbreak

Workers in full protective gear disinfect the floor of a subway station in Seoul, South Korea, June 11, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

Senior ministry official Kwon Deok-cheol told the news conference that the public should stop worrying too much about the outbreak as the number of new cases has been falling.

Most of the deaths so far have been of people suffering from pre-existing medical conditions, such as respiratory problems or cancer.

A 72-year-old MERS patient, who had pneumonia, died Friday and became the country's 11th death linked to the MERS outbreak, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Experts think MERS can spread in respiratory droplets, such as by coughing. But transmissions have mainly occurred through close contact, such as living with or caring for an infected person.

MERS has mostly been centered in Saudi Arabia and has a death rate of about 40 percent among reported cases. It belongs to the family of coronaviruses that includes the common cold and SARS, and can cause fever, breathing problems, pneumonia and kidney failure.