The new coronavirus, identified in January in Wuhan, China, has sickened thousands globally, but just 11 in the U.S.
New diseases tend to sound scary, but experts say that for us, the regular seasonal flu _ which has killed more than 8,200 Americans so far this season _ poses much more of a risk than the coronavirus. Here's what you need to know about this new virus.
Q. Who is getting it worldwide?
A. The virus has sickened more than 17,000 people worldwide, most of them in China, and killed 361, all but one in China, according to the World Health Organization. The true number of those infected may be closer to 80,000, according to an estimate in The Lancet, as many patients have experienced milder illnesses that have not been confirmed with a laboratory test.
Most of the U.S. residents with the new coronavirus became infected while traveling in China, in the Wuhan area. Two people _ one in Chicago, one in California _ contracted it from family members who had traveled in China. The 11 confirmed cases are in Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington.
So far, health departments in 36 states _ including Pennsylvania and New Jersey _ have reported more than 200 patients to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as possible cases, including the 11 patients confirmed to have the illness. Most of the rest have tested negative for the virus, though some results are pending.
Q. Where did it come from?
A. The microbe is believed to have originated in a large live-animal market in Wuhan. Genetic sequencing suggests the virus may have jumped from a bat. Evidence suggests the virus originally could be transmitted only from animal to animal, but gained the ability to "jump" from animal to human, and now is being transmitted between people.
Q. How serious is it?
A. Though more than 300 people have died from the infection, in most cases the impact appears to be fairly mild. So far the risk appears to be low in the U.S., where there have been no deaths, the CDC says. If the Lancet's estimate for the total number of cases is correct, the death rate from the virus is well under 1%.
Q. Who is most at risk?
A. As with most respiratory illnesses, health experts suspect the greatest risk is faced by older people, the very young, and anyone with compromised immune systems.
Evidence suggests that it spreads about as easily as other members of the coronavirus family _ carried no more than several feet through the air by droplets from coughing or sneezing.
Q. What are the symptoms?
A. Officials have urged people to consult their physicians if they have been to China _ or have been in close contact with someone recently returned from China _ and subsequently experience symptoms that can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Evidence suggests that the virus has an incubation period as long as 14 days, meaning the time between exposure and the development of symptoms.
Q. How is it different from the flu?
Those infected with influenza virus commonly experience muscle aches and fatigue. Those infected with the new coronavirus experience mostly respiratory symptoms, similar to pneumonia in more serious cases.
Q. How can I protect myself?
A. It's very unlikely that most Americans will encounter the coronavirus. But the CDC recommends these hygiene measures that also will help protect you from other viruses:
_Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
_Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
_Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
_Stay home when you are sick.
_Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
_Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
If you haven't yet had a flu shot, go get one. It won't stop coronavirus, but you're much more likely to encounter the influenza virus, and the vaccine can prevent or lessen illness.
Q. What's being done to prevent coronavirus from spreading?
A. Chinese officials imposed travel restrictions and closed the large animal market that is believed to be the source of the microbe. As of Jan. 28, the U.S. is urging people to avoid all nonessential travel to China and continues to screen passengers from Wuhan for signs of illness at 20 airports including Philadelphia and New York. Schools and universities around the country have imposed travel restrictions for exchange students and study-abroad programs.
Q. Is it a pandemic?
A. The World Health Organization defines pandemic as "the worldwide spread of a new disease," while an epidemic is generally defined as a disease whose spread is confined to a particular region or country.
The CDC has said it is treating the new virus as if it were a pandemic, but has stopped short of calling it that. Some Chinese officials have accused the U.S. of overreacting.
Q. Is there a vaccine?
A. There is no vaccine for the new coronavirus, but pharmaceutical companies are working to create one. Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Plymouth Meeting announced on Jan. 23 that it received a grant of up to $9 million to rapidly develop a vaccine. The company has partnered with Philadelphia's Wistar Institute. Johnson & Johnson is also working on a vaccine, which the company believes will be ready for human testing in the next eight to 12 months.
Q. Why is it called a coronavirus?
A. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, including those that cause SARS, MERS, and some forms of the common cold. They are so named because the particles have rounded protrusions on their outer edge, resembling the fringe-like corona in a solar eclipse.
