The number of cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome is growing rapidly in Korea, rising to 18 over the weekend and more feared.

All new patients were in the same hospital ward as the man who became the first confirmed case of MERS in Korea, or family members who had been taking care of MERS patients.

Fifteen out of the 17 were infected in a hospital in Gyeonggi Province where the first patient was being treated, leading to worries that health officials focused only on tracking down those who came into direct contact with him, like his family or medical staff, while overlooking the possibility of wider transmission.