As fears of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome infection spreads, camels at a local zoo have been isolated, reports said Tuesday.

Officials of Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, South of Seoul, have secluded two camels indoors since Tuesday and have sent samples from the camels for testing of any MERS infection at Seoul’s Research Institute of Public Health & Environment.

Camels are thought to be major reservoirs for MERS. The virus is thought to have been common in the animals for the past two decades.

The World Health Organization has advised people to avoid close contact with animals, particularly camels, when visiting farms or other open areas where the virus is known to be circulating. However, there have been no confirmed cases so far of MERS transmission outside of medical facilities.

Park officials were quoted as saying that although they believed the camels at the park were born and raised here and therefore unlikely to be relevant to the MERS situation, they decided to have them tested to alleviate public concern.

One Bactrian camel and a dromedary camel live at Seoul Grand Park.

Last week, another park in Gwangju also placed its camel in seclusion. This camel was also born at Seoul Grand Park before being moved to the Gwangju park in 1996.

MERS fears have gripped the nation since last month, when its first case was detected. As of Tuesday morning, two have died from the virus in Korea, and a total of 25 people here have been confirmed as infected.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)