SEOUL, South Korea, Ramadan 1, 1436, Jun 18, 2015, SPA -- The head of the World Health Organization said South Korean efforts to contain a deadly MERS virus outbreak are reassuring and there is a generally low risk to the public, AP reported. Margaret Chan praised the government and health care workers on Thursday for getting the disease under control after a shaky start when the outbreak began nearly a month ago. Chan said in Seoul that it's a good sign the disease has so far been confined to a handful of hospitals and isn't spreading in the wider community. South Korea says 23 people have died and more than 160 have been sickened in the country by the Middle East respiratory syndrome. --SPA 12:31 LOCAL TIME 09:31 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w