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WHO recommends reopening S. Korean schools closed over MERS

A charity group gives free hand sanitizer to people to protect against possible MERS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, virus on the street in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, June 10, 2015. South Korea believes its MERS virus outbreak may have peaked, and experts say the next several days will be critical to determining whether the government's belated efforts have successfully stymied a disease that has killed seven people and infected nearly 100 in the country. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) A charity group gives free hand sanitizer to people to protect against possible MERS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, virus on the street in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, June 10, 2015. South Korea believes its MERS virus outbreak may have peaked, and experts say the next several days will be critical to determining whether the government's belated efforts have successfully stymied a disease that has killed seven people and infected nearly 100 in the country. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

By Associated Press June 10, 2015 1 min read

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Experts from the World Health Organization and South Korea are urging the reopening of nearly 2,500 schools closed over fears of the deadly MERS virus.

The experts said Wednesday that schools haven’t been linked to the transmission of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus in South Korea. The outbreak has killed seven and infected more than 100. But it has occurred only at hospitals. Infections come from close contact with the sick not the air.

Even so, there have been widespread fears and rumors, and more than 2,470 schools have been closed.

South Korean officials this week said they think the outbreak has peaked but that the next several days would be crucial to determining whether their efforts to isolate infected patients had stymied the disease.