South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday that one of its employees has been infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus and is receiving treatment at a hospital.

In an internal notice to its staff, Samsung said the employee, whose identity and sex were withheld, works for its factory in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul. The person was among the seven additional confirmed MERS patients announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention a day earlier.

The employee was hospitalized on June 6 after running a fever about a week ago and has been receiving treatment since, Samsung said, adding that the patient is in stable condition. Samsung failed to disclose where the employee is being treated.

Samsung said it has isolated all workers, who have made or might have had contact with the patient since Saturday, while disinfecting the employee's office and other factory areas the patient had visited.

Following the MERS confirmation, Samsung said it has decided to operate its situation room around the clock.

Samsung said it has taken preventive measures such as restrictions on business travel to MERS-affected countries. The company also requires that employees who have visited MERS-prone areas to work at home for two weeks.

Since the first case was confirmed on May 20, the viral disease has claimed 16 lives and infected 150 people. (Yonhap)