China is strengthening its efforts to prevent the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in the country as its first patient, a South Korean national, is recovering from one of its hospitals.

Xinhua reported Sunday that Chinese airlines are now cutting flights to South Korea.

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The MERS outbreak in South Korea began on May 20 after a businessman who had traveled to the Middle East went home with symptoms of the virus. The businessman had reportedly gone to several hospitals and clinics before authorities positively diagnosed his symptoms to be of MERS, and thus, the virus has spread in those hospitals.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Health in South Korea confirmed seven new cases of infection, bringing the total confirmed cases to 145. Fifteen people have already died from the disease, according to a Busan City official.

Because of the current MERS outbreak, China is fearing a repeat of the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in its borders. Between 2002 and 2003, the SARS outbreak in China killed over 800 people worldwide, reported Reuters.

There is still no official travel warning from the Chinese government, and the alert against MERS may have increased over the past week, but travelers are still edgy about traveling to South Korea.

As a result, airlines have cut back flights to the virus-infected country since Saturday.

Air China's flights from Beijing to Seoul have been reduced from 24 to 21 in a week. The move will reportedly be in effect till late August.

Flights of China Eastern Airlines from Kunming to Seoul have also decreased from five to two in a week. While this move will start today until June 30, the airline's flights between the two cities will increase to thrice a week starting July 1 to until late August.

Meanwhile, Sichuan Airlines will be suspending direct flights to Jeju for a month.

Shandong Airlines, Capital Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and budget carrier Spring Airlines have also either cut or suspended all flights to South Korea, according to The Straits-Times.

China has also reorganized its 2014 edition guidelines of MERS diagnosis and treatment, according to China Daily.

It is now mandatory for people from MERS-infected countries to actively report themselves for quarantine and inspection if experiencing MERS symptoms such as fever and coughing.

Guangdong province's Quarantine Bureau has also begun drilling personnel on MERS information and prevention.

There remains no known cure and vaccine for MERS. Treatment for the virus has largely been quarantine and supportive care.

TagsChinese airlines cut flights to korea, Chinese airlines, MERS, Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Travel, travel news, China Southern Airlines, Shandong airlines, china to korea, capital airlines, Spring Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome