An unknown and deadly virus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, has left 3 dead and over 200 people ill since it first appeared last month.
The mysterious disease (2019-nCoV) has prompted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection to implement “enhanced health screenings” for travelers coming from Wuhan at three major U.S. airports: San Francisco International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Los Angeles International Airport.
“To further protect the health of the American public during the emergence of this novel coronavirus, CDC is beginning entry screening at three ports of entry,” Martin Cetron, M.D., Director of CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine said in a statement. “Investigations into this novel coronavirus are ongoing and we are monitoring and responding to this evolving situation.”
On Sunday, the World Health Organizationconfirmed on Twitterthat “the total number of confirmed cases of #nCoV2019 reported to date is 205, including 3 deaths. All reported deaths have been in Wuhan, China.”
Health care workers move a patient in Wuhan in January.Getty
According toThe New York Times,the virus first appeared in Wuhan last month and that 136 new cases had been detected over the last weekend, in addition to one death.
The outlet also reported that the virus had spread outside of the city with two additional cases detected in Beijing, and one in Shenzhen — while another was caught in South Korea and three were discovered in Thailand and Japan. All of the cases outside of Wuhan involved travelers coming from the infected city.
Similarly, WHOconfirmedthat the infected patient in South Korea did not visit markets in Wuhan or have contact with animals or other confirmed cases.
As of Saturday, the international health organizationsaid that, “Much remains to be understood about the new #coronavirus, including where it comes from and how it is transmitted,” as officials have yet to pinpoint where the virus came from and how it’s being spread.
WHO also revealed that while some of their analysis revealed limited human-to-human transmission of the virus, they don’t know the full extent of it. The group said it would continue to monitor the issue.
Common symptoms from the disease have been fever, coughing and difficulty breathing, according to theTimes.
On Friday, the CDC said that the 2019-nCoV was currently deemed a low risk to the American public.
source: people.com
