Seoul, Jul 13 (IANS): No new case of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) were reported in South Korea on Monday for the eighth consecutive day.

The total number of infected remained at 186 and the toll at 36 as the country has reported no fatality since Friday (July 10) , the health ministry said.

There were 451 people in isolation as of Monday as suspected cases following possible exposure to the MERS coronavirus, down 34 people from Sunday, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Since the country reported its first case on May 20, nearly 16,700 people have been subjected to isolation for possible infection.

So far, 16,231 of them have been released after they showed no symptom of MERS for more than the known maximum incubation period of 14 days for the disease.

Of those diagnosed with MERS, 130 have been discharged from hospitals following complete recoveries.

The 20 others remain hospitalised, with four being in unstable condition.

MERS 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.

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