South Korea reported its sixth death from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome on Monday, along with 23 new cases that brought the total number of people diagnosed with the disease here to 87.
  

The latest MERS-related death was confirmed after an 80-year-old male, who was only diagnosed with the disease earlier in the day, died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
  

The man was one of six new patients infected while staying at or visiting two hospitals in Daejeon.
  

The 17 others were infected while visiting Seoul's Samsung Medical Center, one of 24 hospitals in the country that have been affected by the acute respiratory illness.
  

The 23 new cases also included a teenager, marking the first infection of a school student while over 1,800 kindergartens and schools throughout the nation were observing a temporary shutdown aimed at preventing the spread of the disease among their pupils.
  

Despite an additional case of MERS-related death, the fatality rate of the disease in South Korea was lowered to around 6.9 percent from 7.8 percent on the day before as the total number of people diagnosed with the disease came to 87.
  

However, the number of MERS-related deaths could rise as the ministry said 10 out of those diagnosed are currently in unstable conditions.
  

To help prevent a further spread of the disease, the government revealed the list of 24 hospitals affected by MERS on Sunday, nearly 20 days after the country confirmed its first-ever MERS case on May 20.
  

The government released the names of an additional five hospitals on Monday, putting the total number of hospitals affected by the viral respiratory illness at 29.
  

The release of the list came as all confirmed cases, including the 23 latest ones, are believed to have occurred at hospitals, also a reason the government still claims the disease is not out of control.
  

The health ministry maintains it has yet to confirm any transmissions through casual, daily contact among people, though it is advising people to avoid large public gatherings if possible.
  

Still the fear of catching the MERS virus has apparently forced over 1,800 kindergartens and schools throughout the nation to shut down temporarily, according to the education ministry.
  

The figure, tallied late Sunday, includes 772 elementary schools and 256 middle schools, as well as 11 universities.
  

As of Monday, 2,508 people were placed in isolation at state-designated hospitals or at their own homes for possible infection after coming in close contact with a MERS patient, the health ministry said.
  

It said the number will likely begin dwindling this week with over 500 people already discharged after being quarantined for the maximum incubation period of 14 days for the disease.
 

So far, two people diagnosed with the disease have been released following  complete recoveries as a 50-year-old doctor from one of the hospitals affected by MERS was discharged Monday, after nearly two weeks following diagnosis on May 27.
  

MERS is a viral respiratory illness that had a very high fatality rate of over 40 percent globally before the outbreak in South Korea, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  

South Korea is struggling to find reasons for the wide and continued spread of the disease that has been reported in only 23 other countries throughout the world with over 90 percent of all confirmed cases reported in Saudi Arabia.
  

A team of medical experts from the World Health Organization was set to arrive here later in the day to help find answers, according to the health ministry.
  

In a written interview with Yonhap, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the WHO experts will form a joint response team with South Korean officials to help seek ways to prevent the further spread of the disease in the country.
  

In addition, one of their main objectives will be to identify the reason for the fast spread of the disease in South Korea, she added. (Yonhap)