This archive report was first published on 9 January 2020.
January 9, 2020 - A mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China has left health officials scrambling for answers. The outbreak, which has affected 59 people, has sparked fears of a resurgence of the highly contagious flu-like SARS.
The infection was first confirmed on December 31 in Wuhan, a central Chinese city with a population of over 11 million. Authorities in Hong Kong, which was badly hit by SARS in 2002-2003, have taken precautionary measures, including stepping up the disinfection of trains and airplanes.
According to state media, an expert team has 'preliminarily determined' that a new type of coronavirus is behind the outbreak. Lead scientist Xu Jianguo told the official Xinhua news agency that 'a total of 15 positive results of the new type of coronavirus had been detected' in the lab, through tests on infected blood samples and throat swabs.
While the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that a new coronavirus could not be excluded as a possible cause of the disease, further research is needed to determine the nature of the outbreak. China has ruled out SARS, which killed hundreds of people more than a decade ago.
Wuhan's health commission has reported that seven of the 59 patients are seriously ill, but none have died. Eight patients have recovered and were discharged from hospital on Wednesday. The commission has also stated that no obvious evidence of human-to-human transmission has been found so far.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, China's Ministry of Transport has made arrangements for disinfection, monitoring, and prevention, focusing on areas with large numbers of passengers. The country's civil aviation authority and national railway have also stated that they have not received any reports of affected patients taking flights or trains.
