Cases of the new coronavirus are on the rise in China, prompting health authorities to sound the alarm, as the virus has been shown to be transmitted from person to person.
According to experts, the new coronavirus infects the respiratory system and causes severe pneumonia.
In fact, due to the daily connection of the states with many means of transport, the officials of the World Health Organization (WHO) are afraid of the rapid spread of the virus all over the world. That is why an extraordinary meeting of the WHO will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, in Geneva, in order to assess the situation and discuss the measures to be taken.
A special commission is expected to convene in Geneva to determine whether it will need to declare a "state of emergency public health of international scope", a term used only in the case of more serious epidemics, the World Health Organization said.
China's National Health Commission has confirmed that the SARS family of viruses, which cause a type of pneumonia, can be transmitted from person to person, state news agency Xinhua reported.
For his part, Chinese President Xi Jinping said limiting the epidemic and saving lives was a top priority, as the number of patients tripled and another person died.
At 4 the dead
The health services of Wuhan city in central China announced today that the death toll from the pneumonia epidemic caused by a new coronavirus has increased to four.
The fourth victim, an 89-year-old man, began showing symptoms on January 13 and was taken to hospital five days later with severe respiratory problems, the Vuhan Municipal Health Committee said. It fell on January 19 (Sunday), according to the same source.
The Commission clarified that the patient had a history of severity, serious underlying conditions, particularly hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease.
In a statement posted on its official website on the Chinese social networking site Weibo, Wuhan's Municipal Health Committee said 15 health officials had been diagnosed with pneumonia and there was another possible case.
Of the health officials believed to have been infected with the new coronavirus, one is in critical condition, according to the same source.
Authorities had verified a total of 217 new cases of the new coronavirus in China by 06:00 (local time; 00:00 Cyprus time), Chinese state television reported. Of these, 198 have been located in Wuhan. Of the cases, 169 people are being treated and nine are in critical condition.
The National Health Commission of China officially confirmed today that the coronavirus is transmitted from person to person.
Increased controls in the US and Asia
Authorities around the world, including the United States and many Asian countries, have stepped up checks on travelers from Wuhan, the city in central China where the virus was discovered.
"Wuhan is a huge hub and as a large increase in travelers is expected in the Chinese New Year, the levels of concern must remain high. "We are looking forward to more of this outbreak," said Jeremy Farrar, an epidemic specialist and director of Wellcome Trust global.
Source: philenews