WHO: Novel Coronavirus Linked to Recent Pneumonia Outbreak
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that a novel coronavirus is responsible for the outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was initially reported on December 31, 2019. Further, the first imported case of lab-confirmed infection has been reported in Thailand.
The patient, a 61-year-old Chinese woman, developed symptoms on January 5, 2020. On January 8, 2020, she traveled to Thailand as part of a tour group, was identified with thermal surveillance at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand, and was hospitalized. She reported regularly visiting a local market in Wuhan but did not visit the Huanan South China Seafood Market, the site associated with the majority of other reported cases.
At this time, 41 cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported, including a single death in a patient with severe underlying medical conditions.
“Based on the available information there is no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission. No additional cases have been detected since 3 January 2020 in China,” WHO wrote.
“Additional investigation is needed to ascertain the presence of human-to-human transmission, modes of transmission, common source of exposure and the presence of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic cases that are undetected. It is critical to review all available information to fully understand the potential transmissibility among humans.”
The most prominent reported symptom associated with the novel coronavirus is fever, with some cases also reported breathing difficulty and chest radiographs showing invasive pneumonic infiltrates.
—Michael Potts
References:
- Novel Coronavirus – China [press release]. World Health Organization; January 12, 2020. https://www.who.int/csr/don/12-january-2020-novel-coronavirus-china/en/. Accessed January 15, 2020.
- Novel Coronavirus – Thailand (ex-China) [press release]. World Health Organization; January 14, 2020. https://www.who.int/csr/don/14-january-2020-novel-coronavirus-thailand-ex-china/en/. Accessed January 15, 2020.