AKIPRESS.COM - Thai authorities took nearly four days to confirm the country's first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the health ministry said on Friday, a time lag likely to raise fears of a further spread of the deadly virus in Asia.

Thailand confirmed its first case of MERS on Thursday, a 75-year-old businessman from Oman, just as an outbreak in South Korea that began last month and has infected 166 people, and killed 24 of them, appeared to be leveling off.

Thai Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin said 59 people who had come into contact with the infected man were being monitored.

The man arrived in Bangkok on Monday for medical treatment for a heart ailment at a private hospital, Rajata said.

He declined to identify the hospital and said the patient was transferred to infectious diseases institute in Bangkok on Thursday and put in quarantine.

"It took about four days to diagnose this case and two lab tests," Rajata told Reuters.

The 59 people being monitored included fellow passengers on the man's flight to Bangkok, Rajata said. Three of the 59 have been hospitalized while the rest have been told to stay at home for 14 days.

The Thai case will compound fears in Asia of a repeat of a 2002-2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which began in China and killed about 800 people globally.

Shares in Thai aviation companies and hotels fell on Friday with hotel operator Central Plaza Hotel plunging 6.6 percent. Airports operator Airports of Thailand dropped 4.2 percent to a more than three-week low.