Britain reports two suspected MERS cases

London: The Manchester Royal Infirmary has confirmed that its accident and emergency department (A&E) was temporarily shut down while two suspected cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) were being investigated.

A spokesman of the hospital said its A&E reopened on Monday after the two patients were isolated and the tests were conducted, Xinhua reported.

One patient has now been relocated to North Manchester General, and "results of the tests are still pending".

"We would like to reassure our patients and the general public that there is no significant risk to public health," the spokesman said.

MERS is a viral respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

Typical MERS symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath.

Approximately 36 percent of reported patients with MERS have died, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The virus does not seem to pass easily from person to person unless there is close contact, according to WHO.

The disease has caused 35 deaths in South Korea since May 20.