N. Korea ramping up efforts to prevent MERS outbreak

North Korea said Thursday it has been ramping up its efforts to prevent a possible outbreak of the MERS virus there.
  

The North's Korean Central News Agency said that the North has been beefing up its monitoring at checkpoints, such as those at airports, ports and its border, and checking those who came from places where the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome has been reported.
  

There have been no reported cases of MERS in the North while South Korea has confirmed 183 cases of infection and 33 deaths related to the virus since the outbreak on May 20.
  

The reclusive communist country has been highly sensitive to the outbreak of infectious diseases. Last year, Pyongyang imposed an entry ban on foreign tourists for about five months due to Ebola concerns.
  

"In particular, hospitals and medical clinics in Pyongyang have notified residents of how to prevent the outbreak of the disease," the KCNA said.
  

The report added that other provinces, such as North Pyongan Province bordering China, are closely examining those who have recently been in the Middle East and shown cold symptoms, such as coughing and sneezing.
  

North Korea has dispatched many laborers to the Middle East in a bid to earn hard currency as it has been under heavy U.N. sanctions due to its nuclear and missile tests and strained relations with South Korea.
  

At the request of the North, South Korea has installed three thermal scanners at the North's checkpoints entering a joint industrial park in the North's border city of Kaesong, where about 53,000 North Koreans work for South Korean companies. (Yonhap)

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