The number of South Korea infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) increased to nine Friday, just nine days after the first case was reported, the Health Ministry and Welfare said. Eight other patients were all infected from the patient zero in his late 60s, raising possibility for the first patient to be a "super spreader" who disproportionately infects more people than others. Two new cases were confirmed as the deadly viral disease, including a nurse who treated the first patient and a male who was hospitalized at the same ward with the patient zero, Xinhua quoted the health ministry as saying. The eighth case was the 30-year-old nurse who contacted the patient zero. She had initially tested negative Tuesday, but a separate test confirmed her contraction of the MERS corona virus Thursday. The ninth patient was a 56-year-old man who was admitted to the same hospital ward with the first patient. The number of infectees rose rapidly to nine just nine days after the first case was confirmed on May 20.
