As medical authorities seek to contain the virus, some social media users have made a connection between the disease and the walking dead.

The health ministry dismissed the rumour in a tweet saying: “The claim that individuals infected with this virus will behave like zombies is not true. Patients can recover.”

A number of posts on social media have wrongly claimed the number of deaths and infected people in the country.

Police have arrested six people for spreading misinformation about the virus, a Malaysian Communications and Multimedia statement said.

In the latest arrest, last Thursday, a 28-year-old woman was investigated for “improper use of network facilities”.

If convicted, she can be fined up to RM50,000 or jailed for a year, or both.

The virus has killed more than 300 people in China and infected thousands.

Eight people in Malaysia have been found with the virus — all Chinese nationals.