Once again our starting point is the fast spreading Middle East Respiratory Syndrome，
or MERS， outbreak， which has Korea on edge.
Today， the country reported its first two deaths from the virus， while six new cases
have emerged，... bringing the total confirmed infections to 25.
We connect to our Kim Hyun－bin at the news center for the latest.
Hyun－bin， what have officials revealed about these two deaths？
Health authorities are on high alert.
As you noted， Korea′s health ministry reported the country′s first TWO deaths
from the virus earlier today.
The first was a 58－year－old woman who died Monday.
She was initially hospitalized for severe asthma， but doctors say...
her condition worsened after she came into close contact with the first confirmed MERS
patient at the same hospital.
She was only suspected of having the virus，... but testing after her death confirmed its
presence.
The second person to die from MERS was a 71－year－old man he was known to be the sixth MERS patient.
He was receiving treatment in an isolation ward after contracting the disease from the
first patient.
Now... six more people have tested positive Tuesday... for MERS.
But what′s even more alarming is... two of them were found to have tertiary infections，
meaning they contracted the virus from a SECONDARY infected patient.
Korea′s health ministry says it′s possible that more tertiary patients could pop up in
the next few days.
Meanwhile， 800 people who had contact with MERS patients... are under home isolation
or in quarantine facilities to prevent the disease from spreading further.
The MERS situation exploded in a relatively short period of time...
Just as concerning as the virus itself is how some false rumors about the virus sparked...
and stirred public confusion.
What is being done to address this issue？
Well， the Korean government says it′s going to do more to make sure that clear and
accurate information is given to the public.
Let′s hear what health minister had to say in the latest public update.
″The virus is not airborne it could only infect through contact such as saliva， and
phlegm..We will provide distinct characteristics of MERS so false rumors and strange stories
could be cut off.″
And in an effort to protect children from contracting the disease，... about 84 elementary
schools and pre－schools in Gyeonggi－do Province，... located near the hospital where
the 58－year－old woman died，... will be temporarily closed for a week.
This was based on a decision made by school administrators and parents.
Korea has also placed a temporary travel ban on anyone under quarantine as a preventative
measure.
This is critical，... considering Korea now has the highest number of confirmed MERS cases
in Asia.
And the man with MERS who traveled to China is now under quarantine there.
Reports indicate that he has been put on supplemental oxygen， but is in stable condition.
The Korean government has been under public scrutiny for insufficient i