MERS South Korea Latest Update: Schools to Reopen Even After Epidemic Kills 20, Infects Hundreds

South Korea has reopened its schools amidst the MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome virus) outbreak.

The country had previously closed down around 2,900 schools due to the virus, which has killed 20 people. The World Health Organization (WHO), however, recommended the nation to reopen its schools since the virus has not been spreading within a larger community. 

The outbreak started inside the renowned hospital, Samsung Medical Center located in Seoul. According to a New York Times report, a 35-year-old male patient was misdiagnosed with pneumonia. He was stationed at the center's emergency room for three days where he managed to expose dozens of people to the virus. The Wall Street Journal added that the man had come back from the Middle East and sought out medical care from several hospitals.

As of Tuesday, there have been 162 confirmed cases of MERS in South Korea. Roughly half of these confirmed cases can be traced back to the Samsung Medical Center, which is considered by many to be the nation's best hospital.

"We offer our deep apologies to all MERS patients and those quarantined because of our employees," said Song Jae-hoon, the president of the medical center.

Patients with confirmed or suspected infections are currently being held under quarantine either at this particular center or at another medical facility. There are reportedly thousands of people being monitored and quarantined at this time.

At Samsung, about 300 medical and other employees are being quarantined as well. There are reports that other facilities do not want to take any patients from Samsung.

WHO's Assistant Director-General, Dr. Keiji Fukuda stated that camels are the only identified animal reservoir for the virus. Dr. Fukuda acknowledged that there could be other animal that carry the disease. WHO is recommending people to avoid coming into contact with camels and drinking camels milk or urine. In this particular situation, MERS appears to be spreading via respiratory droplets.

Since 2012, MERS has been responsible for 458 deaths worldwide.