CHICAGO _ The first case of the coronavirus spreading from one person to another in the U.S. was reported in Chicago on Thursday, the spouse of a woman who caught the disease while in China.
It's the second case that's been confirmed in Illinois, and the sixth case in the U.S., since the respiratory virus first started to spread in Wuhan, China.
A Chicago woman who returned from caring for her sick father in China earlier this month was the first local person diagnosed with the illness, as reported by health officials Friday. The woman, who is in her 60s, traveled to Wuhan, China, in late December and returned to Chicago on Jan. 13. Her spouse, who had not traveled to China, is the second Illinois case and first instance of person-to-person spread in the U.S., the Illinois Department of Public Health said.
There have been more than 6,000 cases confirmed worldwide, mostly in China, and 132 deaths from the illness in China, according to the World Health Organization.
On Wednesday, the U.S. government evacuated 195 Americans from Wuhan. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also advised Americans to avoid all nonessential travel to China.
Symptoms of the virus can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. It's believed symptoms appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure. The CDC has said it's still unclear how easily the virus spreads from person-to-person.
