China Issues Statement That New Strain Of Coronavirus Is Behind Mysterious Viral Pneumonia Outbreaks
Source: Thailand Medical News Jan 09, 2020 4 years, 11 months, 2 weeks, 53 minutes ago
Health authorities in
China have announced that the mysterious
pneumonia outbreak that struck 59 people is caused by a
new strain of virus from the same family as
SARS, which killed hundreds of people more than a decade ago.
Medical scientist Dr Xu Jianguo told the Thailand
Medical News that experts had "preliminarily determined" a
new type of
coronavirus was behind the outbreak, first confirmed on December 31 in
Wuhan, a central Chinese city with a population of over 11 million.
Coronavirus
The
viral pneumonia infections initially sparked fears of a resurgence of highly contagious Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (
SARS), and prompted authorities in Hong Kong, badly hit by
SARS in 2002-2003 to take precautions, including stepping up the disinfection of trains and airplanes, and checks of passengers.
Health authorities in
China has since ruled out a fresh outbreak of
SARS, which killed 349 people in mainland
China and another 299 in Hong Kong.
Dr Xu told
Thailand Medical News via a phone interview, "A total of 15 positive results of the
new type of
coronavirus had been detected" in the lab, through tests on infected blood samples and throat swabs. There is still not much data at this stage about the virulence of the virus and also its mode of transmission and whether it is still mutating and evolving and about potential drugs to target it.”
The WHO or World Health Organization confirmed the preliminary discovery of a
new coronavirus strain in a statement.
Dr Gauden Galea, the WHO Representative to
China told Thailand
Medical News, "Further investigations are also required to determine the source, modes of transmission, extent of infection and countermeasures implemented."
The health commission in
Wuhan said on Sunday seven of the 59 patients were seriously ill, but none had died. All received treatment in quarantine. A few hundred individuals who are suspected on encountering those infected are now under quarantine.
To date, eight patients have recovered and were discharged from hospital on Wednesday, according to
China health authorities.
The Chinese health commission said the infection broke out between December 12 and 29, with some of the patients employed at a city seafood market since closed for disinfection.No obvious evidence of human-to-human transmission has been reported
so far but has not been ruled out.
Camera footage from January 1 by state broadcaster CCTV showed an official notice at the market in
Wuhan saying it had been closed in light of the "current
pneumonia situation in our city", without providing a date for reopening.
The
viral penumonia outbreak comes just a few weeks before
China's busiest annual travel period, when millions of people take buses, trains and planes for Lunar New Year.
A transport ministry official said at a briefing that arrangements were made for "disinfection, monitoring and prevention" focusing on areas with large numbers of passengers, including stations and cargo hubs.
Chinese civil aviation and national railway authorities said they had not received any reports of affected patients taking flights or trains, and that they were closely watching the situation.
Wan Xiangdong, Chief Flight Officer of
China's Civil Aviation Administration, said all planes were equipped with emergency medical kits.
Dr Gauden Galea, WHO representative in
China said "people with symptoms of
pneumonia and reported travel history to
Wuhan have been identified at international airports". The WHO has not recommended any travel restrictions on
China.
Many prominent foreign epidemiology experts are warning that the coming Chinese New Year period in two weeks time could trigger a mass spread of the new
viral pneumonia disease if necessary precautions are not undertaken.
