(MENAFN- Arab Times) South Korea recorded its sixth death and biggest single-day jump in Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) infections Monday, with 23 new cases in the largest outbreak of the potentially deadly virus outside Saudi Arabia. From just four cases two weeks ago, the total number of infections now stands at 87, including six people who have died. The latest fatality was an 80-year-old man who died Monday morning in a hospital in Daejeon, 140 kms (87 miles) south of Seoul, the health ministry said.
The outbreak has triggered widespread public concern in South Korea, with 2,500 people placed under quarantine orders and nearly 2,000 schools - mostly in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi province - closed down. But experts say the likelihood of a serious epidemic is remote, given that the MERS virus is not easily transmitted person- to-person. "The chance of a massive outbreak in South Korea is not high," said Ho Pakleung, a microbiology expert at the University of Hong Kong. "Rather I think there will be continued transmissions at a low level,"
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