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| Disinfectant is sprayed on Wednesday at a train station in Wuhan, China, the center of the coronavirus outbreak. |
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know about symptoms,
vaccines, risks
There is no vaccine for the new virus, which is thought to have originated in a market in
Wuhan [Rungroj Yongrit/EPA]
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIESAt least 17 people
have died from a
new coronavirus in China following an outbreak in the central city of
Wuhan, and
more than 550 cases have been reported globally.
Most cases are in China, where more infections have been confirned
in recent days.
There are growing concerns about the spread of the virus as hundreds
of millions
of people travel for the Lunar New Year celebrations, which start on
Friday.
Here is what you need to know:
What is coronavirus?
According to the World Health Organization, coronaviruses are a
family of viruses
that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe
diseases such as
Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
These viruses are transmitted between animals and people.
SARS, for instance,
was believed to have been transmitted from civet cats to humans
while MERS travelled
from a type of camel to humans.
Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have
not yet infected humans.
A novel coronavirus, identified by Chinese authorities on January 7
and currently
named 2019-nCoV, is a new strain that had not been previously
identified in humans.
Little is known about it, although human-to-human transmission
has been confirmed.
What are the symptoms?
According to the WHO, signs of infection include respiratory
symptoms, fever,
cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
In more severe cases, it can lead to pneumonia, severe acute
respiratory syndrome,
kidney failure and even death.
How deadly is it?
Some experts say it may not be as deadly as some other types
of coronavirus such as
SARS, which killed nearly 800 people worldwide during a
2002-03 outbreak that
also originated from China.
MERS, which did not spread as widely, was more deadly,
killing a third of those it infected.
Where have cases been reported?
Mostly in China.
Chinese officials said at least 17 people have died, all in Hubei
Province, of which Wuhan
is the capital. That is also where most of the 571 reported cases are.
Beyond China, Thailand has reported four cases, while South
Korea, Taiwan, Japan and the
United States have each confirmed one.
All those cases involve people who had either come from Wuhan
or been there recently.
What is being done to stop it spreading?
There is no vaccine for the new virus.
Chinese authorities effectively sealed off Wuhan on Thursday,
suspending flights and trains out of the
city and telling residents they could not leave without a special
reason, state media said.
The move, effective at 10am (02:00 GMT), is meant to
"resolutely contain the momentum of the
epidemic spreading" and protect lives, the central city's special
command centre against the virus said,
according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Chinese authorities have stepped up monitoring and disinfection
efforts ahead of the Lunar New Year
break, which formally starts on Friday and is when many of
the country's 1.4 billion people will travel
domestically and overseas.
Airport authorities across in Asia, including Japan, Hong Kong,
Thailand, Singapore, South Korea and
Malaysia quickly stepped up screening of passengers from Wuhan.
In Europe, the United Kingdom and Italy have said they will
introduce enhanced monitoring of flights
from Wuhan, while Romania and Russia are also strengthening checks.
Some airports in the United States have also begun checks.
Where did the virus originate?
Chinese health authorities are still trying to determine the origin
of the virus, which they say came
from a seafood market in Wuhan where wildlife was also traded
illegally. WHO also says an animal
source appears most likely to be the primary source of the outbreak.
There is evidence of respiratory transmission of the virus from
patient to patient, and Chinese
authorities have also said that 15 medical staff in the country have
been infected.
Experts particularly worry when health workers get sick during
new outbreaks, because it can
suggest the disease is becoming more transmissible and because
spread in hospitals can often
amplify the epidemic.
What's next?
On Thursday, the WHO is expected to announce its decision on
whether to declare a global
public health emergency in relation to the new coronaviru
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Wuhan, an industrial city in central China, straddles a river, the Yangtze. It is home to a troubled and declining steel industry. It is a university town filled with college students.
The comparisons don’t go much further. Wuhan has a population of more than 11 million people, the equivalent of 36 Pittsburghs. In terms of college students alone, roughly one million are enrolled there, according to government figures. Summer temperatures can approach 100 degrees, with heavy humidity. Its traditional dish, and one of China’s favorite noshes, is a pungent pasta concoction called reganmian, or “hot dry noodles.”
