CCTV9英语新闻：中国各航空公司减少韩国航班（在线收听）

Facing a potential threat from Middle East respiratory syndrome, China is now on alert and has stepped up its preventative measures.

Health authorities have warned against the risk of imported cases, with September's annual pilgrimage of Chinese citizens to Saudi Arabia—where the MERS virus was first discovered—on the horizon.

More than 14,000 Chinese pilgrims went to Mecca for Hajj last autumn. Medical institutions have been ordered to strengthen their monitoring of fever and pneumonia cases with unidentified causes, to diagnose and isolate MERS patients as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, China's aviation authorities have asked airline companies to report any suspected MERS cases to local hygiene and quarantine departments.

Some airline companies are cutting flights to South Korea, as demand has dropped. Air China has cut the number of weekly flights linking Beijing and Seoul from 24 to 21. The cut runs from Saturday until the end of August.