LONDON: Two suspected cases of the Middle Eastern Respiratory Virus Syndrome (MERS) have forced a hospital in northern England to shut its emergency department, health officials said. Two patients at Manchester Royal Infirmary were placed in isolation, but there was no significant risk to others at the hospital or to the general public, the hospital said.

“Both patients have been isolated for on-going clinical treatment and management of their condition,” it said in a statement.

MERS cases have been found mainly in the Middle East.