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SKorea schools close as confirmed MERS patients reach 35

The public response to the quarantine of more than 1,300 people reflected the fear that has gripped the nation.

By Elizabeth Shim
In South Korea, 200 kindergartens and schools closed on Wednesday, and 500 were planning to close Thursday in response to the MERS contagion. Photo by Yonhap
In South Korea, 200 kindergartens and schools closed on Wednesday, and 500 were planning to close Thursday in response to the MERS contagion. Photo by Yonhap

SEOUL, June 3 (UPI) -- South Korea struggled to contain the spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome as it confirmed 35 MERS patients in the country.

The public response to the quarantine of more than 1,300 people including 398 suspected patients reflected the fear that has gripped the nation. The Washington Post reported 200 kindergartens and schools closed on Wednesday, and 500 were planning to close Thursday.

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All schools were located in Gyeonggi province, where MERS "patient zero" was brought in for examination.

Some schools in the city of Seoul are to close on Friday at the request of parents.

On Thursday South Korea's Health Ministry confirmed a total of five tertiary MERS patients, up from two patients at the beginning of the week.

South Korean news agency Yonhap reported the total number of confirmed MERS patients now stands at 35.

Among those confirmed in the most recent report, two are physicians. One of the doctors contracted the disease at a major hospital where the 14th confirmed patient was admitted.

South Korea's Health Ministry has become the target of criticism for its lack of transparency on the contagion.

Officials have refused to disclose the names of clinics and hospitals where patient zero was treated. The patient, a 68-year-old man, was said to have come into contact with dozens of other patients and hospital staff after showing symptoms that appeared only weeks after he returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia.

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The two patients who died were both in contact with patient zero at the hospital.

The Health Ministry said the tertiary patients originated from the unidentified hospitals, one of which has been closed to the public since South Korea's MERS crisis began. There are no tertiary cases originating from outside the hospitals, according to officials.

A man affiliated with Osan Air Base, a U.S. Air Force base in Pyeongtaek was admitted as a suspected patient, but was later released because his case was diagnosed as benign.

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