More than 500 schools have canceled classes to prevent the spread of a deadly virus that has killed two South Koreans, the Ministry of Education said Wednesday. As of 5 p.m., students and teachers have been told not to show up at 544 schools, about 3 percent of some 20,000 schools nationwide, a ministry spokesman said. The vast majority of the total, or 439 schools, are in Gyeonggi Province, wh...

As the rapid spread of Middle East respiratory syndrome fuels worry in the country, misconceptions and urban myths have also sprung up around the disease that has claimed two lives and sickened 30 people since its outbreak two weeks ago. One popular myth that went viral online Tuesday was to apply Vaseline, a brand of petroleum jelly, inside the nose as a way of preventing MERS infection. The v...

By Claire Lee Seoul confirmed its 14th and 15th Middle East respiratory syndrome cases Sunday, surpassing Qatar as the country with the fourth most MERS cases in the world. The hospital where more than 10 people are believed to have been infected by the first confirmed patient prior to his official diagnosis has been temporarily shut down. Health Minister Moon Hyung-pyo offered his apology on S...

A South Korean man who was confirmed to have Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in China has remained in stable condition, according to Chinese officials and state media Sunday. Chinese health authorities have been on alert since the 44-year-old man tested positive for MERS on Friday, the first confirmed case in China. In South Korea, the number of patients infected with the virus rose to 15 as of...

Seoul said Thursday that three people have been infected by Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and 64 people, including health care workers and the patients’ families, are being monitored for possible infection. All three patients were quarantined at a government-certified facility and reported to be in stable condition. The first confirmed patient was diagnosed with the disease on Wednesd...

South Korea confirmed a third case of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome on Thursday, one day after it reported its first-ever case of the viral disease. The latest case was confirmed in a 76-year-old man who had shared a hospital room with the first patient to be diagnosed with MERS, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The case also came shortly after the wife ...

South Korea is considering raising its watch against the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, health officials said Thursday, one day after the country reported its first case of the viral disease. Officials from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said an experts' meeting will be held later in the day to decide whether to raise the country's watch against the new respiratory disea...