China reports new virus cases, raising concern globally before key holiday

[rooster59]

China reports new virus cases, raising concern globally before key holiday

By Se Young Lee and Hallie Gu

 

FILE PHOTO: International travelers arrive at John F. Kennedy international airport in New York City, U.S., February 4, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - China reported four more cases of pneumonia believed to be caused by a new coronavirus strain, causing rising concern globally that a disease health officials do not yet fully understand could spread during a key holiday period.

 

The new virus, which was discovered in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, belongs in the same large family of coronaviruses that includes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 800 people globally during a 2002/03 outbreak that also started in China.

 

Though experts say the new virus does not appear to be as lethal as SARS, there is little known about its origins and how easily it can spread. Thailand and Japan have confirmed new cases of the virus earlier this week, stoking worries globally as many of the 1.4 billion Chinese people will travel abroad during the Lunar New Year holidays that begin next week.

 

Authorities around the world including in the United States, Thailand and South Korea have stepped up monitoring of travelers from Wuhan as part of their efforts to prevent the disease from spreading.

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned that a wider outbreak is possible, though it has advised against any travel restrictions for China.

 

The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission (WMHC) said on Saturday the four new individuals diagnosed with the new virus are in stable condition, adding it has confirmed 45 cases in the city as of Thursday. A day earlier, the commission confirmed the death of a second patient.

 

Nearly 50 people are now known to have been infected globally, but all of them either live in Wuhan or have traveled to the city.

 

A report published by the London Imperial College's MRC Center for Global Infectious Disease Analysis said there are likely "substantially more cases" of the new coronavirus than currently announced by Wuhan authorities: its base scenario estimate is that there would be 1,723 cases showing onset of related symptoms by Jan. 12.

 

The WMHC referred Reuters queries about the report to the National Health Commission (NHC) and the Hubei provincial government, but the NHC and the Hubei government did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province.

 

SCREENING

 

U.S. authorities have said they would start screening at three airports to detect travelers arriving via direct or connecting flights from Wuhan who may have symptoms of the new virus.

 

In Asia, authorities in Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand have stepped up monitoring of passengers from Wuhan at airports. Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines say they have strengthened screening at all points of entry in response to the outbreak, as well.

 

But Alexandra Phelan, global health legal expert at Georgetown University's Center for Global Health Science and Security, said such screening may be insufficient in preventing the virus from spreading as its symptoms, which include fever, cough and difficulty in breathing, are "quite general".

 

"There are likely to be many individuals with matching symptoms due to an illness that is not 2019-nCoV," Phelan said, referring to the new virus.

 

(Reporting by Se Young Lee and Hallie Gu; Additional reporting by John Geddie in Singapore, Joseph Sipalan in Kuala Lumpur, Antoni Slodkowski in Tokyo, Heekyong Yang in Seoul, Lidia Kelly in Melbourne, Neil Jerome Morales in Manila, Tabieta Diela in Jakarta; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-19

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[LazySlipper]

Are we going to revisit 2003?

When a country pollutes its environment as does China things like this are to be expected. 

[rabas]

From around this morning:

 

In WuHan health authorities swept hospital pneumonia wards city-wide, discovering 17 previously unknown Pneumonia cases that tested + for the  new Coronavirus .  (referenced to Chinese document)

 

Also Chinese citizens are asking what gives "So the virus can travel internationally but not outside WuHan in China?"

 

[nausea]

The machinations of the Chinese authorities remind me of the novel World War Z. I'm guessing there was an original "patient zero" infected by animal to human transmission, but to continue pushing that narrative as the only means of transmission was a little irresponsible. It's anyone's guess how far it's spread now. 

[zydeco]

It will be interesting to see if China ends up handling the humans with this virus the same way they handled the pigs infected with African Swine Fever.

[car720]

The meat markets and fish markets in China have no refrigeration and the produce is covered in flies, so there is a very good chance it is being carried by flies.  Limited area but quickly spread.  We must wait and see.

[zydeco]

21 minutes ago, car720 said:

The meat markets and fish markets in China have no refrigeration and the produce is covered in flies, so there is a very good chance it is being carried by flies.  Limited area but quickly spread.  We must wait and see.

Sure am glad that no similar situation exists here in Thailand.

[Isaan sailor]

They take your Mekong waters.

They build military bases on Spratly Islands.

They build military basis in Cambo

They bought Thai bonds with USD treasuries, to sink western currencies.

They send hoards of tourists to overrun the best sites.

And now they bring in new coronavirus.

No wonder the regime likes China.

[Ireland32]

2 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

They take your Mekong waters.

They build military bases on Spratly Islands.

They build military basis in Cambo

They bought Thai bonds with USD treasuries, to sink western currencies.

They send hoards of tourists to overrun the best sites.

And now they bring in new coronavirus.

No wonder the regime likes China.

Don’t forget those Lethal Debt Traps

[Scott]

13 hours ago, car720 said:

The meat markets and fish markets in China have no refrigeration and the produce is covered in flies, so there is a very good chance it is being carried by flies.  Limited area but quickly spread.  We must wait and see.

Since it is very cool in Wuhan, I suspect it wold be some other method of transmission.  

 

[car720]

3 hours ago, Scott said:

Since it is very cool in Wuhan, I suspect it wold be some other method of transmission.  

 

Obviously not being a medic I can only speculate on the squeezy gut feeling I get when I see it with my eyes. 

I have a feeling though that you are correct.

[Scott]

Just now, car720 said:

Obviously not being a medic I can only speculate on the squeezy gut feeling I get when I see it with my eyes. 

I have a feeling though that you are correct.

It has been many years since I was at an open air market in China, but at that time, and it was quite warm, I suspected it was so filthy that even germs couldn't survive!

 

[car720]

6 hours ago, Scott said:

It has been many years since I was at an open air market in China, but at that time, and it was quite warm, I suspected it was so filthy that even germs couldn't survive!

 

It has most probably got nothing to do with it but where I live they rip the heads off the chickens in the same place they clean the fish.  Just a thought.

[Traubert]

22 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

They take your Mekong waters.

They build military bases on Spratly Islands.

They build military basis in Cambo

They bought Thai bonds with USD treasuries, to sink western currencies.

They send hoards of tourists to overrun the best sites.

And now they bring in new coronavirus.

No wonder the regime likes China.

Yep, except the USD treasuries, you made that one up. It's been proven to you countless times.

 

Oh, and the water thing, thats not true either. Interestingly enough Malaysia, Taiwan (ROC),  the Philippines and Vietnam have military bases in the Spratleys too. Why should China be left out?

 

Only America says that they are building a military base in Cambodia and we all know how suspect their information is, right? Tourists? There's no-one coming, tourism is in the toilet, or Vietnam, one or the other, the distinction escapes me.

 

Virus? No self respecting virus would go near the some of the expats/sexpats in Thailand. Too much competition.

 

 

[Traubert]

21 hours ago, Ireland32 said:

Don’t forget those Lethal Debt Traps

Beats a shower of bombs all ends up though eh? A little less lethal.

[Scott]

7 hours ago, car720 said:

It has most probably got nothing to do with it but where I live they rip the heads off the chickens in the same place they clean the fish.  Just a thought.

I suspect it will take a little time to find out where it originated and how it is spread.   It most likely didn't start at the market but arrived.   A lot of those virus come from animals being raised together in close proximity.   Different viruses that affect ducks and pigs (and I believe Chickens) have been known to recombine in close confinement and come up with a new strain.  Migrant birds then become a good transport method.

So, whatever this virus is, it most likely came from the countryside and once it hit the market, then it got a chance to jump to people.  

 

Most of these viruses has been reasonably easy to control or contain and have not been particularly dangerous.   I suspect that one of these days we will not be so lucky.  

[puck2]

I have been 3 times for holiday in rural areas of Yunnan, Sichuan and Guangxi and have seen a lot of markets there. The hygienic standard surely was not on a high level.

 

Therefore I guess this is the main reason for an outbreak of epidemics we read about here. My China holidays have been in the years 1999 - 2001. Because I have not been there again I'm not able to say, if there was a fundamental change. But I believe not, because it's strange that these epidemics occur mainly in the remote areas of China (and Africa).

 

Edited January 20, 2020 by puck2

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, Scott said:

I suspect it will take a little time to find out where it originated and how it is spread.   It most likely didn't start at the market but arrived.   A lot of those virus come from animals being raised together in close proximity.   Different viruses that affect ducks and pigs (and I believe Chickens) have been known to recombine in close confinement and come up with a new strain.  Migrant birds then become a good transport method.

So, whatever this virus is, it most likely came from the countryside and once it hit the market, then it got a chance to jump to people.  

 

Most of these viruses has been reasonably easy to control or contain and have not been particularly dangerous.   I suspect that one of these days we will not be so lucky.  

 

I think I was reading a WHO document earlier today that said the original SARs virus supposedly originated in civet cats, while the more recent MERS virus from the Middle East had its origin in local camels???

[TheDark]

Ok. Now it's time to be concerned of the Wuhan coronavirus.

 

#BREAKING CHINA’S NATIONAL HEALTH COMMISSION CONFIRMS PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE TRANSMISSION OF NEW #Wuhan #coronavirus AND SAYS MEDICAL WORKERS HAVE BEEN INFECTED – XINHUA (Reuters)

[rabas]

19 minutes ago, TheDark said:

Ok. Now it's time to be concerned of the Wuhan coronavirus.

 

#BREAKING CHINA’S NATIONAL HEALTH COMMISSION CONFIRMS PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE TRANSMISSION OF NEW #Wuhan #coronavirus AND SAYS MEDICAL WORKERS HAVE BEEN INFECTED – XINHUA (Reuters)

Here is the original information from a top medical expert in China. He also worked on the SARS epidemic. You can use google to translate the page into English. Didn't take long.

 

Zhong Nanshan: 14 medical staff infected with new coronavirus pneumonia

https://news.sina.cn/gn/2020-01-20/detail-iihnzhha3784842.d.html?vt=4&pos=8&cid=56261

 

Edited January 20, 2020 by rabas

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

31 minutes ago, rabas said:

 

 

Zhong Nanshan: 14 medical staff infected with new coronavirus pneumonia

https://news.sina.cn/gn/2020-01-20/detail-iihnzhha3784842.d.html?vt=4&pos=8&cid=56261

 

 

This link may work better:

 

https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=search&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=zh-CN&sp=nmt4&u=https://mil.sina.cn/2020-01-20/detail-iihnzahk5445399.d.html%3Fvt%3D4&xid=17259,1500003,15700022,15700186,15700191,15700256,15700259,15700262,15700265,15700271&usg=ALkJrhj3f9LtpR-bCU570UvY6iTl7YxnCg

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Wall Street Journal today:

 

 

Quote

 

BEIJING—A newly identified virus originating in central China has spread quickly around the country and across Asia, infecting 156 new patients in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and other densely populated cities, and reaching South Korea for the first time—a major escalation in the pneumonia-like disease’s transmission.
 

The number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus—part of a class of pathogens that can cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS—has more than tripled to 218 cases, according to Chinese state media and health authorities.
 

Zhong Nanshan, one of China’s best known epidemiology experts who leads an expert committee on the outbreak for China’s cabinet-level National Health Commission, said in an interview on state broadcaster China Central Television Monday that there was a human-to-human transmission of the virus, which has now claimed three lives.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-coronavirus-kills-third-person-spreads-to-more-cities-11579494221

 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

https://time.com/5768404/china-coronavirus-human-transmission/

 

 

Quote

 

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS 

11:17 AM EST

BEIJING — The head of a Chinese government expert team said Monday that human-to-human transmission has been confirmed in an outbreak of a new coronavirus.
 

Team leader Zhong Nanshan, a respiratory expert, said two people in Guangdong province in southern China caught the disease from family members, state media said.
 

The National Health Commission task force also found that some medical workers have tested positive for the virus, the English-language China Daily newspaper said.

 

 

 

[Scott]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I think I was reading a WHO document earlier today that said the original SARs virus supposedly originated in civet cats, while the more recent MERS virus from the Middle East had its origin in local camels???

I am not sure.   It's difficult to know if that is where the virus originated or if they are simply a vector animal.   Scientists may have better knowledge of the origins, but often it is a mix of different strains and lives well and is passed on by the vector animals.   I think both camels and civit cats are vectors for sure.

 

[mike787]

Assume it is far worse than stated, this is serious!!  It may not kill us all like the dinosaurs but the coronavirus has already established itself and gaining momentum....Darwins law is being applied...

[car720]

11 hours ago, Scott said:

I suspect it will take a little time to find out where it originated and how it is spread.   It most likely didn't start at the market but arrived.   A lot of those virus come from animals being raised together in close proximity.   Different viruses that affect ducks and pigs (and I believe Chickens) have been known to recombine in close confinement and come up with a new strain.  Migrant birds then become a good transport method.

So, whatever this virus is, it most likely came from the countryside and once it hit the market, then it got a chance to jump to people.  

 

Most of these viruses has been reasonably easy to control or contain and have not been particularly dangerous.   I suspect that one of these days we will not be so lucky.  

A well considered and informative comment, which is to be expected.

I just pray it is not an artificial implant.

[ExpatOilWorker]

5 hours ago, car720 said:

A well considered and informative comment, which is to be expected.

I just pray it is not an artificial implant.

Indian fresh markets and sewage systems seem to have even worse hygiene than China, yet all these nasty new viruses originate from China, why?

Excessive use of antibiotics in the general population or state sponsored research gone wrong? 

[car720]

17 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Indian fresh markets and sewage systems seem to have even worse hygiene than China, yet all these nasty new viruses originate from China, why?

Excessive use of antibiotics in the general population or state sponsored research gone wrong? 

Good call this man.

One of the constant groans that I have with my wife when we are there is that the pharmacy she goes to offers anti biotics for absolutely everything.  So many Chinese now have zero immunity to anything.

[zydeco]

21 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Indian fresh markets and sewage systems seem to have even worse hygiene than China, yet all these nasty new viruses originate from China, why?

Excessive use of antibiotics in the general population or state sponsored research gone wrong? 

First, the Hog Holocaust. Now, this. Something is wrong, there.

[TheDark]

45 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Indian fresh markets and sewage systems seem to have even worse hygiene than China, yet all these nasty new viruses originate from China, why?

Excessive use of antibiotics in the general population or state sponsored research gone wrong? 

Antibiotics don't work for viruses.