Germany reports first death from MERS virus

Medical personnel take part in a drill, as part of preparations in the event of a Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, at the New Taipei City Hospital Sanchung Branch in New Taipei City, Taiwan, June 12, 2015. (REUTERS/Pichi Chuang)

Workers in full protective gear disinfect the floor of a subway station in Seoul, South Korea, June 11, 2015. REUTERS/Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap

BERLIN — A 65-year-old German man who was infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus earlier this year has died in the hospital, the health ministry of the German state of Lower Saxony said on Tuesday.

The man died in the town of Ostercappeln, north-west Germany on June 6 from complications stemming from the virus, the ministry said in a statement.

It is the first German death from the MERS virus, which emerged in the Middle East in 2012 and is from the same family as the SARS virus. It can cause coughing, fever and pneumonia.

The man is believed to have been infected with the virus while visiting an animal market on the Arabian Peninsula in February, the ministry said.

It said there were no indications he had infected others, having tested 200 people and found them all negative for the virus.

The virus has infected over 150 people in South Korea and killed 19 of them since it was first diagnosed on May 20 in a businessman who had returned from a trip to the Middle East.