Officials in South Korea may be breathing a sigh of relief as the MERS outbreak, which has closed over 2,000 schools and quarantined over 3,000 people, passes its critical two-week incubation period. And with infections mainly restricted to hospital settings, even health officials suggest the danger may be waning.

"Strong consideration should be given to re-opening schools, as schools have not been linked to transmission of" the MERS virus in South Korea, according to a statement by joint WHO/South Korea administrators.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome is a viral respiratory illness that is new to humans, with the first reported case emerging in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Since the emergence of the virus, which research indicates originated in dromedary camels, it has spread to several countries, including the U.S. The outbreak in the Republic of Korea, which began in May of this year, is the largest known outbreak of MERS outside the Middle East. So far, nine deaths have been reported and 108 cases confirmed.

In some individuals, the virus causes only mild cold-like symptoms. But in others, especially those with compromised immune systems or preexisting medical conditions, it can produce severe respiratory illness, including fever, cough, shortness of breath and even death.

Transmission of the virus has stymied health officials. In Korea, it has been restricted primarily to hospital settings, which is good news for the general public, but bad news for hospital workers and their patients. Patients who contract the virus while hospitalized for other conditions are prime targets for this opportunistic virus.

The virus is believed to be spread from an infected person's respiratory secretions, such as when coughing or blowing their nose. Person-to-person contact has been well-documented. The virus has a two-week incubation period and those most at risk include people with diabetes, kidney failure, chronic lung disease or weakened immune systems.

The World Health Organization has thrown in some added precautions, which for those outside the Middle East, should be simple to follow:

- Avoid contact with camels

- Do not drink raw camel milk or raw camel urine (this should be a given)

- Do not eat undercooked meat, particularly camel meat

In the meantime, things are looking brighter for South Koreans.

"I think that things will settle down shortly," said Professor Alimuddin Zumla, who co-authored a comprehensive review on MERS. Searching for MERS cases "always leads to finding positive cases, especially those who are asymptomatic, or think they have a common cold. The numbers will dwindle soon and the outbreak controlled in the next few weeks."