China has confirmed the first examples of the deadly WuhanCoronavirus spreading from human to human, with medical workers currently among the infected.
More than 200 cases of the disease have been confirmed so far with instances also being reported in Japan, Thailand and South Korea.
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A worker in a protective suit at the seafood market in Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus is believed to have originated.
You can read Simon Calder's full story here:
Airports begin screening for symptoms
Here's travel correspondent, Simon Calder, on what's happening at airports in light of the virus:
Travellers between China and the US are being screened for symptoms of a new and potentially deadly respiratory virus.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has told passengers arriving from China at Los Angeles, New York JFK and San Francisco -- the three main ports of entry in the United States from the People's Republic -- that they may have their temperatures taken.
They are also being asked to fill out a symptom questionnaire. Anyone with fever, a cough or breathing difficulties will have an additional health assessment.
Symptoms and treatment
Here's our full piece from Asia Editor, Adam Withnall, on the coronavirus symptoms, treatment and response:
Virus spreads outside of China
Authorities in Thailand and Japan have identified at least three cases - all of which are people who have recently travelled from China. South Korea reported its first case, a 35-year-old woman from Wuhan who tested positive for the coronavirus a day after arriving at Seoul airport.
At least half a dozen countries in Asia and three US airports have started screening incoming airline passengers from central China.
Is it contagious?
Although it was initially reported that cases of the virus were directly linked to the seafood market in Wuhan, China's National Health Commission has now confirmed that their are examples of the virus spreading from human to human.
What is the virus?
Here's Asia Editor, Adam Withnall, on what the deadly virus actually is:
Coronaviruses are a group of virus that cause respiratory infections -- diseases ranging from the common cold to SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome). This is the seventh known to infect humans.
SARS first infected people in southern China in late 2002 and spread to more than two dozen countries, killing nearly 800. The Chinese government initially tried to conceal the severity of the SARS epidemic, but its cover-up was exposed by a high-ranking physician.The virus causing the current outbreak is different from those previously identified, Chinese scientists said earlier this month. Initial symptoms of the novel coronavirus are mainly fever, health officials said, with some experiencing coughing, tightness of the chest and shortness of breath. Scans on some patients have shown fluid in the lungs consistent with viral pneumonia.The World Health Organisation (WHO), which was first informed of the cluster of illness in Wuhan on 31 December, said the new disease was isolated for study on 7 January after other causes such as SARS, avian flu and MERS had been ruled out. It said it was closely following the current outbreak.
British tourist feared to have contracted coronavirus
One of the dozens of people believed to have contracted the virus is a British tourist. Ashley Shorley, 32, was taken to hospital after falling ill while visiting the island of Koh Phi Phi in Thailand.
Doctors in Phuket believe Mr Shorley's symptoms to be consistent with the coronavirus. Read the full story here:
Over 100 new cases logged
Nearly 140 new cases have been logged in China amid reports of a third death, officials have said. Two cases have been confirmed in Daxing and one in the Guangdong province, marking the first instances of the illness spreading beyond Wuhan.
China confirms human-to-human transmission
China has confirmed the first human-to-human examples of the Wuhan Coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in a seafood market in Wuhan.
The head of a Chinese government expert team, Zhong Nanshan, said two people in southern China caught the disease from family members, according to state-controlled English language newspaper China Daily. Read the full story here:
China confirms human-to-human transmission of deadly virus
The IndependentConfirmation of person-to-person spread comes as Xi Jinping warns illness ‘must be taken seriously’
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