(3rd LD) S. Korea confirms 2 additional MERS cases

(ATTN: ADDS health minister's comments and government measures in last 5 paras)

SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea confirmed two additional cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome on Friday, raising the number of patients diagnosed with the virus to nine.

The two were found to have been infected with the potentially fatal disease from a 68-year-old patient, the country's first confirmed MERS case, according to the health ministry.

One of them was a 30-year-old female medical staff who treated the first confirmed MERS patient, while the other, who is 56 years old, stayed at the same hospital ward as the first patient, the ministry said.

The medical staff was among those who have been in quarantine.

MERS is a viral respiratory illness that is fairly new to humans, with only 1,142 reported cases in 23 countries since the first case was confirmed in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

There currently is no vaccine or treatment for the disease, which has a very high fatality rate of 40.7 percent.

The latest cases raised the number of people infected with the potentially deadly virus to nine, eight of whom were known to have come in contact -- director or indirect -- with the patient who was first confirmed on May 20.

The ministry said that it is closely monitoring a total of 120 people who might have contacted MERS patients to prevent the spread of the virus, though no secondary infections have been reported.

Meanwhile, as the health conditions for the 71-year-old man who tested positive for MERS on Thursday deteriorated sharply, medical staff inserted tube into the patient to support his breathing, according to the ministry.

Expressing concerns over the "worsening" situation, Health Minister Moon Hyung-pyo vowed to make all-out efforts to stem the spread of MERS.

"We have to do our best to help our people feel safe in their lives and trust the government by perfectly coping with (the situations) with an attitude that we will not ignore any possible small thing," he said at an emergency meeting held in Seoul.

He also asked medical staff around the country to confirm whether a patient with respiratory problems have recently been in the Middle East region and report any suspected cases to health authorities immediately.

In a related move, the health ministry plans to punish medical staff for not reporting suspected cases to the government or those who refuse to have epidemiological tests even after showing MERS-like symptoms with a fine of 2 million won (US$1,806).

The ministry added that those who are suspected of being infected with MERS but unwilling to put themselves in quarantine will be fined 3 million won.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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