The last South Korean patient of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) passed away today after struggling against the viral disease for about six months, the health ministry said.

The 35-year-old, who contracted the viral disease on June 8, had already suffered from malignant lymphoma, China’s Xinhua news agency reported.

Due to the treatment with anti-cancer drugs, the patient’s immunity was sharply compromised.

The patient was tested negative for the Mers corona virus on Nov 1, but he was confirmed positive 10 days later before dying of complications today.

He has struggled against the Mers for 172 days, marking the longest struggle in the world.

Since the first Mers patient was found in South Korea on May 20, a total of 186 people were infected by the viral disease. Among them, 38 patients died, raising the fatality rate to 20.4 percent.

South Korea became the most Mers-infectious country outside the Middle East.

The country declared the “actual” end of the Mers outbreak in late July because no more patient had been reported since July 5.

The official end of the Mers outbreak is expected to be declared on Dec 23 as the World Health Organisation recommends the declaration four weeks after no Mers patient is left.

- Bernama