S.Korea, Japan, China agree to jointly deal with MERS, new diseases

South Korea, Japan and China have agreed to jointly cope with any future outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus, as well as emerging diseases that threaten public health in Northeast Asia.

The South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare said the health ministers from the three countries met in Kyoto and issued a joint statement involving the agreement on Sunday.

The joint statement also calls for concerted efforts to deal with universal health coverage, the rapidly aging population and non-communicable diseases, according to the Seoul ministry.

South Korea suffered from MERS after its first case was confirmed on May 20, with 38 people killed by the virus. The country now is effectively out of MERS danger.

At the Kyoto gathering, South Korea's Health Minister Chung Chin-Youb proposed to set up a trilateral consultative body as well as a hotline that that will allow the three states to swiftly communicate and share information on disease-related matters.