SEOUL, May 28 (Xinhua) -- A South Korean man suspected of being infected with the deadly viral disease went to China for a business trip, Yonhap News Agency and YTN reported Thursday citing the disease control center.

The 44-year-old man, who had been placed in self-isolation as he was in a close contact with his families infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), went to China Tuesday.

The unidentified man is the son of the third infectee and the younger brother of the fourth patient, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

The South Korean health authorities notified the Chinese health authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO) of his departure to make the suspected infectee subject to examination and treatment.

The MERS is a respiratory illness caused by a new type of corona-virus. The first case was found in Saudi Arabia in 2012. There is no vaccine or treatment for the disease, with its fatality rate reaching 40.7 percent.