World Bulletin / News Desk

More than 230 schools in South Korea have temporarily closed down, as fears of Middle East respiratory syndrome spreads through the country.

30 South Koreans have tested positive for the virus that causes the disease, which has killed hundreds of people, with the majority in Saudi Arabia. The outbreak in South Korea is the largest reported outside the Middle East, where the virus first emerged in 2012 and where more than 1,100 cases and over 470 deaths reported have occurred.

Two of the South Korean infected persons have died Monday, and three others are in critical condition, health officials said Wednesday. The authorities are waiting for test results 99 people.The number of people isolated at home or in state-run quarantine centers while officials monitored them for symptoms had risen to 1,364 from 790 a day earlier.

So far in South Korea, all the reported cases of the syndrome, known as MERS, were found among medical staff members, patients or visitors at five hospitals. But the school closures were but one demonstration of a widespread public suspicion about the government’s response to the situation.

Many people have cancelled hospital appointments for fear of infection — a fear some say was fueled in part by the government’s decision not to reveal the names and locations of the five hospitals where cases have been discovered.