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Police to quarantine defiant suspected MERS carriers at medical centers

June 5, 2015

Passengers flying from Busan, South Korea, receive temperature checks for MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) as they arrive at Hong Kong Airport, Friday, June 5, 2015. The current frenzy in South Korea over MERS brings to mind the other menacing diseases to hit Asia over the last decade — SARS, which killed hundreds, and bird flu. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

SEOUL, June 5 (Yonhap) — Police said Friday they will quarantine suspected MERS patients at medical institutions if they defy being restricted to home.

Currently, South Korea advises those suspected of carrying the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus to stay at home to stop the spread of the virus.

Police said suspected patients will be forcibly quarantined at a medical institution if they defy house quarantine.

The tough measure highlights the urgency in tackling the virus that has killed four South Koreans and sparked widespread public fear across the country.

Police also vowed to sternly deal with those who spread false rumors about MERS. Police are currently investigating 27 such cases, and two suspects have been arrested.

MERS is a viral respiratory disease that is relatively new to humans. It has a fatality rate of 40 percent globally, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most people infected with MERS develop severe acute respiratory illness, including a fever, a cough and shortness of breath. There is currently no vaccine or treatment for the disease.