AKIPRESS.COM - South Korean President Park Geun-hye postponed a U.S. visit on Wednesday to supervise the handling of an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), as two more people died and 13 new cases were reported, lifting the total number of patients to 108.

The latest two deaths, both cancer patients, bring the number of fatalities to nine. All of those who died had been suffering serious ailments before they tested positive for MERS virus, the Health Ministry said.

Park had been due to leave for the United States, her country's closest ally, on Sunday and meet President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Her office said the coming week would be a "watershed" for the country's response to the disease.

The outbreak has fuelled public anxiety and hit spending, with thousands in quarantine and the number of schools closing rising to 2,474, including 22 universities. Many people on the streets are wearing face masks, while attendance at movie theatres and baseball games has dwindled.

The main Incheon airport said the number of passenger arrivals increased year on year between May 20 and June 5, but showed 25 percent and 31 percent drops on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

Taiwan's two biggest airlines are temporarily cutting flights to South Korea by nearly half. Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said it had seen a drop in bookings to South Korea, reports Reuters.