MERS or (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome) is caused by a caronavirus which is the same family of viruses that cause the common cold. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, MERS tends to spread due to having close contact with an ill person. The outbreak in South Korea and deaths associated were mostly among people with preexisting conditions. Experts from the WHO are heading to South Korea to assess the pattern of the spread of the virus and evaluate public health response efforts.