Tell me about: The difference between MERS and SARS

As the death toll from MERS mounts in South Korea, face masks are an increasingly common sight, but some health experts doubt they do much more than provide reassurance to the wearer. Photo: AFP

By DR Y.L.M 

I recently visited South Korea on a business trip. I wasn’t aware that they were having an outbreak of MERS until I went by one of their hospitals, and realised that several wards were closed. I remember when we had the SARS scare in our neck of the woods. How is MERS different from SARS?