韩国承诺加强措施防止MERS扩散

Worries are spreading among the South Korean public as 2 people have been confirmed dead from the disease.

The victims include a 58-year-old woman and the other 71-year-old man, both of whom had close contact with the MERS patient earlier.

As of Tuesday, six more cases were identified which brings the total number of South Koreans diagnosed with the viral disease to 25.

Among the new cases were two tertiary infections, adding to fears over an exponential increase in the contagion.

"Tertiary transmissions that we were worried about actually occurred. So, I am very concerned about the further spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)."

In response of the situation, a ministers' emergency meeting was held in Seoul on Tuesday.

Moon Hyung-pyo is Health Minister of South Korea.

"We will keep the infectious disease crisis alert level as " the cautious-level" at this point, and we will also take strong countermeasures. First, we will try to figure out all the people who contacted the first confirmed patient, divide them in the order of priority after analysis, and will quarantine anyone over age 50 in a facility, while the remaining patients will be quarantined in their homes."

So far, South Korea has already isolated 750 people for possible MERS infection. Authorities are also said to be considering a ban on overseas travel for those infected people.

Kwon Jun-wook is the Director-General of South Korean Health Ministry's Public Health Policy Department:

"In Regards to the travel restrictions, the Justice Ministry has activated the process, and the list with 240 people was already handed over. During our morning meeting, the Justice Ministry urgently requested the final list."

Meanwhile, the situation of the first MERS patient in China, a South Korean man, has worsened.

He is now under close observation in a hospital in Huizhou.

Due to fear of MERS, hundreds of Chinese tourists have reportedly canceled their travel plans to S. Korea.

The MERS virus, first identified in humans in 2012, has a death rate of over 40 percent.

There is no vaccine or cure for the disease so far.

For CRI, I'm XYee.