By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
South Korea's military offered medical support to the country's citizens Thursday, after 14 new infections of a deadly virus brought the overall number of cases to 122.
The outbreak has already led to the deaths of nine local people, but 13 more were in an unstable condition as of the health ministry's latest update.
Caused by a strain of coronavirus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was first diagnosed in South Korea last month.
The speed at which the illness has progressed in the country even prompted a visit from a team of World Health Organization experts.
The world only discovered MERS three years ago, in Saudi Arabia, but it is not considered likely to spread outside of healthcare settings.
An updated total of 55 South Korean hospitals have so far been affected by this latest outbreak, which began when a man returned from a trip to the Middle East.
Seoul's defense ministry has vowed to provide assistance, starting in central city Daejeon.
"24 military surgeons and nurses will be sent to the Daejeon Dae Cheong Hospital starting tomorrow to take care of (MERS) patients there," spokesperson Kim Min-seok revealed.
The country's armed forces are now officially MERS-free following the recovery of a previously infected senior Air Force officer.
A 39-year-old pregnant woman who contracted the virus in Seoul has been the focus of national concern, because she is in the final trimester of her pregnancy.
She required three tests to confirm her infection, but officials reassured the public that her condition was stable as of Thursday - an emergency caesarean section could be considered if the woman's health status changes.
In a further effort to contain the outbreak nationwide, the government said it had isolated several hundred more people.
While some of the 3,805 suspected cases are being allowed to stay at home, Seoul is able to monitor them via their mobile phones in accordance with acting Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan's statement last weekend.
Despite concerns over privacy, Choi said the measure was "unavoidable."
