South Korea reports first case of MERS virus; patient stable

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean health officials on Wednesday confirmed the country's first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in a patient who recently returned from Bahrain and is in stable condition after being treated for a high fever and cough. The 68-year-old man was in Bahrain from April 18 through to May 3 and was engaged in farming-related business, South Korea's health ministry said in a statement. He returned to South Korea on May 4 through Qatar, it said. (Reporting by Meeyoung Cho; Editing by Tony Munroe)