Malaysia has quarantined 15 people who came into contact with a man who died from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) disease, health officials said today, according to dpa .

Health Minister S Subramaniam said 15 people were quarantined in the southern state of Johor where the victim lived.

He said health authorities were closely monitoring their condition.

Subramaniam said the patient who died arrived in Malaysia on March 29 after a pilgrimage to Mecca. On April 8 and 9 he developed a fever, cough, and had difficulty breathing.

He was admitted to the hospital a day later, but died on April 13.

"Investigations revealed that the cause of death is severe pneumonia secondary to MERS-CoV," he said.

Subramaniam said health workers were tracing people who flew on a Turkish Airlines flight from Jeddah to Istanbul to Kuala Lumpur on March 29 so they can undergo medical screening.

The disease was first detected in the Middle East in 2012, but researchers have yet to determine its cause.

The World Health Organisation has recorded 238 cases of the disease and 92 deaths, dpa reported.

Meanwhile, Health Ministry director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a statement today that 64 residents from the victim’s village have also been placed under observation at their homes.

“Daily observation is being conducted for those who have symptoms (similar to MERS-CoV), on top of health education for the public and those who were exposed,” he said.

He said 27 mucus samples have been taken, including from health officers who have had close contact with the virus.

“From that number, 17 samples came back negative and 10 more are awaiting results,” he said.

In another development, The Star quoted Johor exco member in charge of health and environment Ayub Rahmat as saying that  more than 1,000 residents at the victim’s village have undergone screening.