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New strain of coronavirus behind lung infections in China [View all]
Source: Deutsche Welle
Date 09.01.2020
Author Hannah Fuchs
New strain of coronavirus behind lung infections in China
Experts think they have determined what caused mysterious lung infections in a group of over 50 people in China's Wuhan region. A new coronavirus is likely behind the outbreak, doctors believe.
On December 31, 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) country office in China was informed of 27 patients with pneumonia of unclear cause in Wuhan — a metropolis with 19 million inhabitants in Hubei province.
The municipal health commission reported that many of the infections could be attributed to visits to the fish market, which also sells live animals other than fish. The market hall was then closed until further notice and has been disinfected.
By February 5, 2020, 59 patients had been identified. Seven of them are in a critical condition, according to a report by the Robert Koch Institute; no deaths were reported.
In addition, South Korea reported that its first suspected case involved a 36-year-old Chinese woman who visited Wuhan last month, according to authorities. She is being treated in a hospital in Bundang, south of Seoul.
-snip-
The pathogen's gene sequence has been deciphered, according to the head of the team of Chinese experts, Xu Jianguo.
He said the cause is a new type of coronavirus found in the blood and saliva of 15 patients. An investigation into what brought about the outbreak will continue.
-snip-
Author Hannah Fuchs
New strain of coronavirus behind lung infections in China
Experts think they have determined what caused mysterious lung infections in a group of over 50 people in China's Wuhan region. A new coronavirus is likely behind the outbreak, doctors believe.
On December 31, 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) country office in China was informed of 27 patients with pneumonia of unclear cause in Wuhan — a metropolis with 19 million inhabitants in Hubei province.
The municipal health commission reported that many of the infections could be attributed to visits to the fish market, which also sells live animals other than fish. The market hall was then closed until further notice and has been disinfected.
By February 5, 2020, 59 patients had been identified. Seven of them are in a critical condition, according to a report by the Robert Koch Institute; no deaths were reported.
In addition, South Korea reported that its first suspected case involved a 36-year-old Chinese woman who visited Wuhan last month, according to authorities. She is being treated in a hospital in Bundang, south of Seoul.
-snip-
The pathogen's gene sequence has been deciphered, according to the head of the team of Chinese experts, Xu Jianguo.
He said the cause is a new type of coronavirus found in the blood and saliva of 15 patients. An investigation into what brought about the outbreak will continue.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.dw.com/en/new-strain-of-coronavirus-behind-lung-infections-in-china/a-51942489
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Related: WHO Statement Regarding Cluster of Pneumonia Cases in Wuhan, China (World Health Organization)
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