CRI听力:One Suspected MERS Patient Dies in S.Korea

A South Korean suspected patient of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome has died this afternoon.

No other details about the death are available as of now.

Earlier today, South Korea confirmed three new cases of MERs, bringing the total number of infected patients in the country to 18 in just under three weeks.

South Korean health officials have been criticized for their slow response to the virus.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye says her government plans to form a MERS task force including experts in the private sector to fight the spread of the disease.

"Early measures were a bit unsatisfactory. To firmly block MERS spreading in our society, I hope that the private-government joint countermeasure team puts all its effort into this, will closely cooperate with local governments, and use all possible national health-related capabilities."

There is still no known cure or preventive vaccine for this deadly virus.

There have been more than a thousand cases reported worldwide since the first outbreak of the disease in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Almost half of those infected have died.

South Korea's outbreak of MERS is the largest ever outside the Middle East.