MERS Virus: South Korea Confirms 5 More Cases, Outbreak is Likely to Spread

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South Korea confirms 5 more cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus on Wednesday.

The total number of people infected with the virus has climbed to 30 since the outbreak began two weeks ago, making it the third largest MERS outbreak outside the Arabian peninsula. The disease has killed two people since the first confirmed case was announced on May 20.

The situation has sparked a nationwide panic in the country and has shut off 200 schools, cancelled public events and quarantined or isolated more than a thousand people for possible infection, according to Reuters.

Travel authorities have banned individuals, who are suspected of being infected with the disease, to travel overseas.

South Korea President Park Geun-hye announced on Wednesday that everything must be done to stop the spread of the MERS virus.

"There are a lot people worried about the situation," Park said, according to Daily Mail. "Everything must be done to stop any further spread."

Given how the disease has spread fast and how many people have been exposed in the country, more infections are currently being anticipated, according to the statement released by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The two deaths announced on Tuesday confirmed that a 71-year old and 58-year old woman died after testing positive for the virus. They both got the infection from the first patient who returned from a business trip from the Middle East.

Most of the infected patients have been directly infected by the first patient. However, the five new cases announced Wednesday morning were infected via third-generation of transmission. This means that the patients did not come into contact with the first patient but with intermediaries, who were also exposed to the disease.

The information and name of the hospitals that are treating MERS patients are still kept mum by public health authorities, according to Yahoo News. They insisted that refusing to name the hospitals is "helpful" to the situation, but a list of rumored hospitals is already making rounds in the South Korean social media sphere.

A health expert opined that it may not be the right time to uphold the Korean tradition of visiting family and friends in hospitals.

"It may be the obligatory thing to go and comfort your family or friend, but that person has to rest ... and in the current situation we've had cases where they were exposed while visiting hospitals," Kim Woo-joo, of Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, said.