Manchester Royal Infirmary A&E unit closed over Mers outbreak

The accident and emergency department has been closed as a temporary measure

Manchester Royal Infirmary has shut its A&E unit after a suspected outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

The hospital said the emergency department was closed temporarily while two patients are investigated for the condition.

A spokesman said the patients had been isolated for treatment and there was "no significant risk to public health".

BBC health correspondent Dominic Hughes said it was a "big step" for a hospital to close an A&E department.

A hospital spokesman said: "Both patients have been isolated for ongoing clinical treatment and management of their condition."

Manchester Royal Infirmary's A&E department "will be closed until further notice while further investigations take place," the spokesman added.

'Big step'

The first Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) fatality was recorded in June 2012 in Saudi Arabia.

It is passed to people in close contact and is similar to the Sars virus.

• Symptoms of Mers include coughing and fever
• It can lead to fatal pneumonia and kidney failure
• Most people infected have been older men with other medical conditions
• It is not known for certain how it is spread, but it is possible it is passed in droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes
• Experts believe the virus is not very contagious

BBC health correspondent Dominic Hughes said it was a "big step for a hospital to close an A&E" but the move would be part of its "standard infection control procedures".

He said: "Although it doesn't transfer from person to person easily it is healthcare workers who are at the greatest risk of infection."

He said Mers has been spotted in 26 countries, including in the UK in 2013, where it was detected on four occasions, resulting in three deaths.

Patients who would usually travel to the Manchester Royal Infirmary are being diverted to hospitals in South Manchester and Salford.