South Korea reported no additional cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome for the 13th straight day Saturday, with no fatalities occurring for a week, the health ministry said.

The number of people diagnosed with MERS in the country remained unchanged at 186 with the death toll also staying flat at 36, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

There were 98 people in isolation as of Saturday, as suspected cases following possible exposure to the MERS coronavirus, down from 155 people the day before, it said.

Since the country reported its first case on May 20, nearly 16,700 people have been subject to isolation for possible infection. So far, 16,538 of them have been released after showing no symptoms of MERS for more than the known maximum incubation period of 14 days for the disease.

Out of those diagnosed with MERS, 135 have been discharged from hospitals following complete recoveries, up one compared to the day before, with the discharge of a 24-year-old female patient.

The remaining 15 are receiving treatment in hospitals.

MERS is a viral respiratory disease that is still fairly new to humans. The disease has claimed over 530 lives globally, posting a fatality rate of over 36 percent.

In South Korea, the fatality rate stands at 19.4 percent, with most of the people succumbing to the illness having had underlying medical conditions. The ministry said 91.7 percent of the people

who died were being treated for cancer or had serious heart, lung or kidney conditions.

There currently is no vaccine or treatment for the disease that was first reported in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. (Yonhap)