A MAJOR hospital has closed its accident and emergency department while it investigates two patients with a potentially deadly Sars-like virus.
Both patients have been isolated for ongoing clinical treatment and management of their condition after they were suspected of having contracted Middle Eastern Respiratory Virus Syndrome (Mers).
Public health chiefs said the risk of other people catching the disease, particularly if they do not travel to Middle Eastern countries, was low.
Tests on the patients are continuing at Manchester Royal Infirmary, which has been shut as a precaution.
The hospital's NHS trust said: "We would like to reassure our patients and the general public that there is no significant risk to public health," the statement said.
"Manchester Royal Infirmary accident and emergency department will be closed until further notice while further investigations take place."
The last person to be diagnosed in the UK with the disease was in February 2013, despite a recent rise in cases in the Middle East.
Dr Rosemary McCann, North West deputy director for Public Health England, said: "Although cases continue to be reported from the Middle East, no new cases of Mers-CoV have been detected in the UK since February 2013.
"There is presently no evidence of sustained person-to-person transmission of Mers-CoV, and the risk of contracting infection in the UK remains very low.
"The risk to UK residents travelling to Middle Eastern countries may be slightly higher than within the UK, but is still very low.
"Limited onward transmission in South Korea has been associated with health care settings, and the risk to UK tourists visiting South Korea is also considered to be very low."
North West Ambulance Service said it will be taking patients to a nearby hospital.
Dr Derek Gatherer, a lecturer at the University of Lancaster, said: "Outside hospitals the risk to the general public is extremely low and the outbreak ought not to cause concern."
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