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China Investigates SARS Like Pneumonia Disease

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I stole this news, lol. hehe

Translation Google

[Exclusive] New virus of unknown pneumonia in Wuhan is likely to be transmitted from animals to the Hong Kong government, and it is planned to upgrade the epidemic prevention


Last Update: 01 04 00:20 / Settling Time (HKT): 0103 21:55

Unknown cause of pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, but so far the local government has not announced the type of virus causing the disease. It is reported that the local virus that has caused the outbreak of unknown pneumonia is very likely to be a new species of coronavirus that jumps from animals to humans. Some experts in Hong Kong believe that the government should immediately upgrade the response level to the severe level in response to the great chance of a new species of coronavirus appearing in the Mainland. It is reported that the government has also formulated further measures to strengthen epidemic prevention, which will be announced today (4th).


It is reported that the Mainland has acquired the virus that caused Wuhan's unknown pneumonia this time. It is likely that a new type of coronavirus that jumps from animals to humans is not the same as SARS coronavirus. Some experts have analyzed that there have been severe animal-to-human virus outbreaks in South China, including bird flu and SARS coronavirus. This time, there is no outbreak of bird flu in Wuhan. The epidemic situation is related to markets that sell game. Animal-to-human coronavirus, but not exactly the same as SARS-CoV.

https://hk.news.appledaily.com/local/realtime/article/20200104/60448286
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Technophobe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2020 at 3:22pm
You just beat me to this one, Boss. 14 minutes later - an article in English appears!

Outbreak in China: Avian flu, adenovirus not culprits in Wuhan outbreak, first CDC tests show
NEW MEASURES:The CDC urged health personnel to be on the alert when treating people with pneumonia and check whether they had been to Wuhan recently
By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

A Centers for Disease Control poster warns people traveling to Wuhan in China’s Hubei Province about an outbreak in the area.
Photo courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that preliminary tests have excluded flu, avian flu or adenovirus infections as possible causes of a pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China, that was first reported last week.

After a rumor spread online on Tuesday last week about a SARS-like infection in Wuhan, the CDC on Tuesday announced that while information from the Chinese government suggests that the disease does not resemble SARS, enhanced preventive measures would take effect immediately.

CDC officials are boarding all flights from Wuhan to Taiwan — 12 flights per week — to check whether passengers or crew have symptoms indicating a possible case of the disease, the agency said.

CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that the Chinese government has excluded flu, avian flu and adenovirus as possible causes, but it had not ruled out other novel viruses, such as a coronavirus.

“Coronaviruses can cause mild symptoms, similar to a common cold, but they can also cause serious symptoms, such as SARS or MERS [Middle East respiratory syndrome],” Chuang said, adding that it is also important to find the source of the infection.

Chinese government information showed that there was no apparent evidence of human-to-human transmission, but the source of infection, the transmission route and whether there are communal outbreaks would be key points for the CDC to follow up on, and the factors will affect the centers’ risk evaluation, he said.

Since Tuesday last week, seven flights from Wuhan to Taiwan with a combined 633 passengers and crew had been inspected by airport quarantine officials, with six passengers showing mild symptoms, Chuang said.

One of the cases was confirmed as the flu, one a flu-like illness, one a common cold and another had a reduced fever, while local heath departments are following up on the two other cases, he said.

The CDC has issued a notice to healthcare professionals, urging them to be alert when treating people for pneumonia and to check whether they have traveled to Wuhan recently, he said, adding that they should report suspected cases and send a specimen for tests.

Forty-four people had been diagnosed with the illness as of Friday, with 11 in a critical condition, Chinese government data showed.

A total of 121 people who have had direct contact with patients are being observed, the data showed.

The CDC said that people planning to visit Wuhan and nearby areas should wash their hands frequently with soap, wear a surgical mask, avoid livestock markets, hospitals and crowded areas, and report to the airport quarantine station if they have a fever or flu-like symptoms when returning to Taiwan.


Source:   http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2020/01/05/2003728733

May I point out that the "CDC" mentioned is Tiawan's version.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Albert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2020 at 3:40pm
Many unanswered questions with this novel coronavirus. Incubation period? What animal transmits it? What sector of poultry market in China will this devastate?   Can it be stopped? Many unanswered questions when witnessing the birth of a new disease.   

A brand new born baby on the planet earth. Global warming? hehe

Reminds me of the movie Prometheus.
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News > World > Asia

Hong Kong issues emergency response as mystery China disease spreads

Five cases of viral pneumonia reported

Staff Reporter
4 hours ago

Hong Kong authorities have activated a newly created “serious response” level as fears spread about a mysterious infectious disease that may have been brought back by visitors to a mainland Chinese city.

Five possible cases have been reported of a viral pneumonia that has also infected at least 44 people in Wuhan, an inland city west of Shanghai, about 570 miles north of Hong Kong.


The outbreak, which emerged last month, has revived memories of the 2002-03 Sars epidemic that started in southern China and killed more than 700 people in the mainland, Hong Kong and elsewhere.

The serious response level indicates a moderate impact on Hong Kong’s population of 7.5 million people.

It is the second highest in a three-tier system that is part of a new government plan launched on Saturday to respond to infectious diseases of unknown cause.

The city’s health department added an additional thermal imaging system at Hong Kong’s airport on Friday to check the body temperature of arriving passengers. More staff have been assigned for temperature checks at the West Kowloon high-speed rail station that connects Hong Kong to the mainland.

Nearly 50 people contract mystery respiratory illness in China

The territory's embattled chief executive Carrie Lam, on a visit to the train station Friday to review the health surveillance measures, urged any travellers who develop respiratory symptoms to wear surgical masks, seek medical attention and let doctors know where they have been.

The Wuhan health commission said 11 of the 44 people diagnosed with the pneumonia were in critical condition as of Friday. All were being treated in isolation and 121 others who had been in close contact with them were under observation.

Most of the cases have been traced to the South China Seafood City food market in the suburbs of sprawling Wuhan, where offerings reportedly include wild animals that can carry viruses dangerous to humans. The commission said the market has been disinfected.

The most common symptom has been fever, with shortness of breath and lung infections in a small number of cases, the commission said.

Nearly 50 people contract mystery respiratory illness in China
There have been no clear indications of human-to-human transmission of the disease.

The latest cases in Hong Kong are two females, aged 12 and 41, who had been to Wuhan in the past 14 days but did not appear to have visited the food market, the Hospital Authority said. They were in stable condition and being treated in isolation at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Besides Sars, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, Hong Kong also was hit by bird flu in 1997 and swine flu in 2009.

Associated Press
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2020 at 9:47pm
Does anyone know if having all the pneumonia shots helps at all. No one ever says if having these vaccines has helped someone survive the pneumonia. I still need the get the Prevnar shot.
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Most of the cases have been traced to the Huanan seafood wholesale market in the suburbs of sprawling Wuhan.

China pneumonia: Singapore reports first suspected case linked to Wuhan
Patient is a three-year-old girl with a travel history to Wuhan, but had not visited seafood market where some of the infected worked
The number of cases reported in relation to the Wuhan outbreak rose to 44 on Friday, up from 27 on Tuesday
Topic | World Health Organisation


Bloomberg

Published: 2:47pm, 5 Jan, 2020

Updated: 2:47pm, 5 Jan, 2020


Singapore has reported its first suspected case of pneumonia that’s possibly linked to the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where there’s an ongoing outbreak of a mysterious lung infection. The patient, a three-year-old girl with a travel history to Wuhan, is in stable condition and has been hospitalised for further assessment and treatment, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Saturday. She has been isolated as a precautionary measure. Preliminary tests showed that the case was positive for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, a common cause for childhood pneumonia. The World Health Organisation is monitoring the situation in Wuhan and is in active communication with its counterparts in China, where an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the outbreak.

As of Friday, 44 people had been diagnosed with pneumonia, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said.

Some of the infected worked at a fresh seafood and produce market in the city. The girl in the suspected case in Singapore had not visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market associated with the cluster, according to the health ministry.

Singapore implemented temperature screening at Changi Airport from

World Health Organisation ‘closely monitoring’ China’s viral pneumonia outbreak

Read More

China pneumonia: Hong Kong authorities take low-key approach to passengers arriving in Hong Kong on Wuhan trains

Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has urged any travellers who develop respiratory symptoms to wear surgical masks, seek medical attention and let doctors know where they have been. The most common symptom has been fever, with shortness of breath and lung infections in a small number of cases. There have been no clear indications of human-to-human transmission of the disease.

In Hong Kong, officials launched a new response mechanism for infectious diseases on Saturday morning, setting it to “serious” level, the second of a three-tier scale. The number of suspected cases reported in Hong Kong had increased to eight on Saturday, but by evening, none of these were found to be an unidentified strain.

In 2002-2003, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome killed hundreds of people around the world, with most of the fatalities registered in China and Hong Kong. Besides SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, Hong Kong also was hit by bird flu in 1997 and swine flu in 2009. Additional reporting by Associated Press and Agence France-Presse


World Health Organisation

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FluMom, probably not, as it has to cover the specific virus, or one with 'selected-for-use-in-the-vaccine' antigens in common. It is still a good idea to get it though.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote EdwinSm, Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 05 2020 at 7:38am
China says it is NOT SARS.

Originally posted by BBC BBC wrote:

A mysterious viral pneumonia that has infected dozens in central China is not Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), health chiefs have said.

They also discounted bird flu and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, and said investigations were continuing.

A total of 59 cases have been reported in the city of Wuhan, seven of which are considered critical.

.....

In a statement posted on its website late on Sunday, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said 163 people who had had contact with those infected had been placed under medical observation. It said efforts were continuing to identify the virus and its source.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Albert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 05 2020 at 11:36am
Edwin - Good find on article.


".... The commission said previously that there had been no human-to-human transmission of the illness. It added that a number of those infected worked at a seafood market in the city, leading authorities to sanitise the area".


Comment: "A number of those worked at the seafood market", but apparently not all worked there or visited the market. It seems we have limited h2h.

I'll also add, if the market is closed and has been sanitized, where are these additional cases coming from on a daily bases if there isn't H2H involved?
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[Tiawan's]CDC expands condition for notification amid concern over virus
2020/01/05 21:08

Taipei, Jan. 5 (CNA) Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Sunday that it has expanded the conditions for notification of suspected cases of an unconfirmed respiratory virus.

The move is the latest preventive measure the CDC has taken against a cluster of respiratory infections that have been reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Doctors and airport quarantine officials must notify the CDC when they encounter a patient who has traveled to Wuhan in the past 14 days and presents with a fever and symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection.

Previously, they only had to notify the CDC if a patient met one of two requirements; either the patient had a fever, symptoms of pneumonia and had traveled to Wuhan, or they had a fever, symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection and had been to the Huanan Seafood Market, where a number of those infected in Wuhan reportedly worked as vendors.

The CDC announced the new measure at a press conference after CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) met with 17 experts.

The experts said that since not everyone infected by the virus will have symptoms of pneumonia, it was necessary to expand the conditions for notification and ensure that all suspected cases are screened, according to Yang Ching-hui (楊靖慧), a CDC division chief.

Suspected cases will undergo screening for 26 viruses, including viruses that cause SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome), and additional screening items could be added based on the development of the situation in Wuhan, Yang said.

On Friday, China's Wuhan Municipal Health Commission issued a press release noting that a total of 44 cases of the virus had been reported there, of which 11 were considered serious.

An additional 121 close contacts of those being treated for the virus have been placed under medical observation, and the city's Huanan Seafood Market, where some of the patients worked, has been closed, the commission said.

(By Chang Ming-hsuan and Chiang Yi-ching) Enditem/J

Source:   http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/202001050011.aspx
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"...Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said public hospitals had admitted eight more patients, including a boy, nine, and a two-year-old girl, in the 24 hours to noon on Sunday with fever, respiratory infection or pneumonia symptoms who had also been to Wuhan in the past 14 days. At least seven of them confirmed that they had not been to any wet market there".

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3044723/six-more-hong-kong-patients-hospitalised-over
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Technophobe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 05 2020 at 11:49am
That really does look like h2h now.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Albert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 05 2020 at 12:08pm
A common problem such as with "super-spreaders", is that they are A-Symptomatic and will show no symptoms. So they can isolate dozens of people who may never get sick or show symptoms, and meanwhile others get infected. They have to look for antibodies in those quarantined, which can take quite a bit of time to develop. So it can spread h2h, while at the same time making contact-tracing impossible. And that one is an ominous prospect in a pandemic. You never know who to isolate or who will ever be infected (and develop pneumonia), or how fast it's spreading - as it doesn't induce pneumonia with everyone. Confused yet? lol     
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LIVE TV
TOP STORIES
China rules out SARS as dozens struck by pneumonia-like virus
6 hours ago

Health experts have said a viral pneumonia outbreak in central Hubei province is not the highly contagious SARS virus, MERS or bird flu. Some 59 patients have been placed under medical observation.
A mysterious respiratory illness that has infected dozens of people in the central Chinese city of Wuhan is not the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) that killed hundreds of people a decade ago.

The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said Sunday 59 people were diagnosed with the condition and have been isolated. Seven were in a critical condition.

Initial investigations also ruled out Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), influenza, bird flu and adenovirus, the commission said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement that it is monitoring the situation and is in close contact with authorities in China.

Read more: World unprepared for pandemic, panel warns

SARS-like symptoms

Several of the infected patients had been working at Wuhan's South China Seafood market, which has been closed since Wednesday for environmental sanitation and disinfection.

The most common symptom among those infected was fever, with difficulty breathing and lung lesions appearing in a "small number'' of cases. There were no clear indications of human-to-human transmission, the WHO said.

Fifteen patients in Hong Kong were being treated for symptoms after recent visits to Wuhan.

Read more: Swine fever: Scientists warn quarter of world's pigs could die


The outbreak in the mainland city of Wuhan has been linked to a large food market nearby
SARS cover-up

In 2003, SARS killed 349 people in mainland China and another 299 in Hong Kong. Following that outbreak, the WHO criticized China for underreporting the number of SARS cases, amid fears of a global pandemic.

Wuhan — a city to the west of Shanghai and some 900 kilometers (570 miles) north of Hong Kong — is the sprawling capital of Hubei province and has a population of at least 11 million.

kw/aw (AP, Reuters)

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"The most common symptom among those infected was fever, with difficulty breathing and lung lesions appearing in a "small of cases, the WHO said."

Wonders what that means....?
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I've got a Nasty feeling about this.....

Lesions in the lung ,

could mean a h5n1 type of virus has now the abilityto go deeper......

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[Every time I post an article on this outbreak it is 90% repitition of what has been said before. So I will highlight the new stuff in yellow.]


Mystery illness in Chinese city not Sars, say authorities

Fears of new epidemic after people taken to hospital in Wuhan with viral pneumonia

Associated Press in Beijing

Sun 5 Jan 2020 14.25 GMT
Last modified on Sun 5 Jan 2020 18.25 GMT

Fifty-nine people were diagnosed with the condition as of Sunday.
A mysterious respiratory illness that has infected dozens of people in a central Chinese city is not Sars, local authorities have said.

The 2002-03 epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome started in southern China and killed more than 700 people. Fears of a recurrence arose this month after a number of people were taken to hospital with unexplained viral pneumonia in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province.

Fifty-nine people had been diagnosed with the condition as of Sunday. They have been isolated while they receive treatment, according to the Wuhan municipal health commission. Seven are in a critical condition.

The commission said in a statement that initial investigations had ruled out Sars as well as Middle East respiratory syndrome, influenza, bird flu and adenovirus.

The commission said previously that the condition’s most common symptom was fever, with shortness of breath and lung infections appearing in a small number of cases. There were no clear indications of human-to-human transmission.

Several patients were working at the South China Seafood City food market in Wuhan’s suburbs. The commission said the market would be suspended and investigated.

Hong Kong’s hospital authority said on Sunday that 15 patients were being treated for symptoms including fever and respiratory infection after recent visits to Wuhan.

Hospitals and doctors had been directed to report cases of fever in anyone who had travelled to Wuhan in the past 14 days, Hong Kong’s health chief, Sophia Chan, said.

The hospital authority said it has activated a serious response level to curb the spread of the infection. Chan warned Hong Kong residents against visiting wet markets and eating wild game in mainland China.

The World Health Organization said it was monitoring the situation closely and maintaining contact with Chinese authorities. No travel or trade restrictions were necessary at this time, it said.


Source:   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/05/mystery-illness-to-strike-chinese-city-is-not-sars-say-authorities-wuhan
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['And an odd one which demonstrates the degree of worry felt.]

Macau regulator briefs casinos on new disease prevention measures

Newsdesk by Newsdesk
Sunday 5 January 2020 at 17:44

Officials from Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau as well as the Health Bureau have met with representatives of the SAR’s six casino concessionaires to brief them on new measures aimed at preventing the outbreak of disease.

The meeting, held last Thursday, was in response to a recent outbreak of pneumonia in nearby Wuhan and ensuing warnings from the Health Bureau that some local residents had carried the virus back to Macau.

New Secretary for Economy and Finance confident of Macau’s 2020
In an announcement, the DICJ said it intended to promote “advanced forms of preparation” against the risk of any local outbreak of communicable disease ahead of the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday – traditionally one of the busiest periods in Macau each year.

Directives issued to concessionaires included a requirement to disseminate information related to communicable diseases to employees in a timely manner; to install temperature-monitoring equipment at all venue entrances to detect fever in both employees and patrons; to monitor the physical condition of employees and patrons; and to ensure that anyone showing signs of fever must disclose whether they have been to Wuhan in the previous 14 days, the DICJ and Health Bureau said.

Authorities must also be informed if a large number of cases are identified.

Source:   https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2020/01/05/macau-regulator-briefs-casinos-on-new-disease-prevention-measures/
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China mystery virus: SARS, MERS and bird flu ruled out

The pneumonia, which emerged last month, has so far infected 44 people in China and 15 in Hong Kong.

Sunday 5 January 2020 22:08, UK

A mystery viral respiratory outbreak in China is not SARS, MERS or bird flu, authorities have said.

Healthcare workers in the Wuhan region are still working to identify the virus, its cause and the source, but do not yet have answers.

The mystery pneumonia, which emerged last month, has so far infected 44 people in China and 15 in Hong Kong.

Seven of those unwell in China are said to be in a critical condition, while the rest are stable.

Singapore has said it will screen people for any infection when they arrive on flights from China.

There had been fears the virus could be severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which killed more than 700 people and terrified hundreds of thousands in 2002-03.

In Hong Kong, doctors have been ordered to report cases of fever in anyone who may have travelled to Wuhan in the past fortnight, and hospitals have been put on high alert.

A total of 59 people have been diagnosed with the mysterious condition in Wuhan and have been isolated while they receive treatment, according to the city's municipal health commission.

Doctors are also observing 121 people with whom the patients had been in close contact.

The commission said in a statement that initial investigations have ruled out SARS as well as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), influenza, bird flu and adenovirus.

The commission previously said the condition's most common symptom was fever, with shortness of breath and lung infections appearing in a "small number" of cases.

Several patients were working at the South China Seafood City food market in sprawling Wuhan's suburbs.

City officials said a clean up at the market has been completed, and that that no obvious human-to-human transmission had been seen and no medical staff had been infected.

Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said Sunday that a total of 15 patients in Hong Kong were being treated for symptoms including fever and respiratory infection after recent visits to Wuhan.

Hospitals and doctors have been directed to report cases of fever in anyone who has travelled to Wuhan in the past 14 days, Hong Kong's health chief Sophia Chan said on Sunday.

The hospital authority said it has activated a "serious response" level to curb spread of the infection.

Ms Chan warned Hong Kong residents against visiting wet markets and eating wild game in mainland China.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it was closely monitoring the situation and maintaining contact with Chinese authorities.

The WHO has said no travel or trade restrictions are necessary at this time.

WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said: "Investigations are still being carried out and authorities cannot yet confirm what pathogen is causing this illness."

He added that there are several potential causes of viral pneumonia, many of which are more common than SARS.


Source:   https://news.sky.com/story/china-mystery-virus-sars-mers-and-bird-flu-ruled-out-11901644

[I have also found an article in the China Morning post stating that Hong Kong residents had been calling for the expulsion of mainlanders because of disease fears. Sorry, I could not access that one (EU cookie laws = roll on brexit!)]
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Singapore Says Pneumonia Case Not Linked to Wuhan Outbreak
By Joanna Ossinger

    Common virus caused three-year-old girl’s infection: officials
    Ministry of Health says will monitor situation closely

A case of pneumonia in Singapore in a three-year-old girl with a history of travel to Wuhan is not linked to the outbreak in the Chinese city, Singaporean officials said.

The cause of the girl’s pneumonia is Respiratory Syncytial Virus, a common cause for childhood respiratory infection, according to a statement from Singapore’s Ministry of Health. The case has also tested negative for SARS and MERS-CoV, the ministry said.


The World Health Organization is monitoring the outbreak of a mysterious lung infection in Wuhan and is in active communication with its counterparts in China, where an investigation is underway to determine the cause of a pneumonia outbreak. As of Friday, 44 people had been diagnosed with pneumonia, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said.

The girl in the suspected case in Singapore had not visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market associated with the Wuhan cluster, the health ministry had earlier said.

“As medical practitioners are on the lookout for cases with pneumonia who have recently returned from Wuhan, Singapore is likely to see more suspect cases that will need to be investigated for possible links to the Wuhan cluster,” the MOH said. “MOH will continue to monitor the situation closely.”


Source:   https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-05/singapore-says-pneumonia-case-not-linked-to-wuhan-outbreak?utm_source=google&utm_medium=bd&cmpId=google


[Uh? Wh? Wah? What case? ...................   I see! Only mention it after it tests negative. Fiendishly clever! - Just not very helpful to us bug-watchers.]
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My bad. Singapore did tell us - I just forgot the article.

So many posts, so little brain!
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Hong Kong steps up response to China pneumonia outbreak

6 January 2020 08:00

AFP 2 min read



Hospital officials in Hong Kong raised their alert level to “serious” on Saturday as a mystery viral pneumonia outbreak in mainland China continued to spread.

The infection was first reported on December 31 in Wuhan, a central Chinese city with a population of over 11 million — leading to online speculation about a resurgence of the flu-like SARS virus that killed hundreds of people in 2002-2003.

The number of reported cases has now risen from 27 to 44, with 11 people listed in serious condition, according to China’s public health watchdog.

The outbreak sparked fears in Hong Kong when a woman who travelled to Wuhan during the Christmas holiday was admitted to hospital on Thursday for treatment of respiratory infections.

By mid-day Saturday, Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority had reported a total of eight cases to the city’s health department.

Three are being treated under isolation conditions in a public hospital, while the other five have been discharged.

Officials in the international financial hub also implemented enhanced monitoring and infection control in public hospitals and clinics.

In mainland China, authorities reported that the major cluster of recent infections have centered around a wet market in Wuhan where wild animals were sold.

They were still in the process of identifying the cause, but have determined that common respiratory diseases such as influenza, bird flu and adenovirus infection are not to blame.

So far, Chinese officials say there has been no human-to-human transmission, but Ho Pak-leung, director of the University of Hong Kong’s Centre for Infection, advised the city to brace for that possibility.


A SARS commemoration in Hong Kong. Photo: HKFP/Ellie Ng.

“Preventive measures should be as stringent as possible,” Ho told Hong Kong’s public broadcaster RTHK, urging the mainland government to provide real-time updates.

Additional thermal imaging systems were put in place on Friday at Hong Kong’s international airport to check the body temperature of travellers arriving from Wuhan.

In Singapore, the health ministry also announced Friday that all travellers arriving from Wuhan would be subject to temperature checks.

In 2002-2003, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome killed hundreds of people around the world, with most of the fatalities registered in China and Hong Kong.

Source?:   https://www.hongkongfp.com/2020/01/06/hong-kong-steps-response-china-pneumonia-outbreak/
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[The Hong Kong tally rises to 21]

A mysterious virus is making China (and the rest of Asia) nervous. It's not SARS, so what is it?

By Nectar Gan, CNN

Updated 1105 GMT (1905 HKT) January 6, 2020

(CNN)Chinese health authorities have not been able to identify a mysterious strain of pneumonia that has infected dozens of people and put the rest of Asia on alert -- although they have ruled out a return of the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus.

A total of 59 cases of unknown viral pneumonia have been reported in the city of Wuhan, central China, with seven patients in critical condition, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said in a statement on Sunday. All patients are being treated in quarantine and no deaths have been reported.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), symptoms of the pneumonia are mainly fever, with a number of patients having difficulty breathing, and chest radiographs showing invasive lesions of both lungs.

The outbreak came to light in late December and prompted fears in China of a possible resurgence of SARS, an acute viral respiratory illness first reported in the country in 2002 that caused a pandemic that ripped through Asia.

SARS spread to 37 countries worldwide, infected more than 8,000 people and killed 774 from November, 2002 to July, 2003. The illness is brought on by a coronavirus, and symptoms include fever, cough, severe headache, dizziness and other flu-like complaints.

Amid growing disquiet, Wuhan authorities said on Sunday they had excluded the possibility of SARS, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and bird flu.

If not SARS, then what is it?

According to the Wuhan health commission, the infection broke out between December 12 and December 29, with some of the patients employed at a seafood market in the city.

Local media reported that the market -- which has been closed since January 1 for disinfection -- also sold other live animals, including birds, rabbits and snakes, sparking concerns that the virus might have been transmitted to humans from animals.

Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, a respiratory expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said it is highly likely that the outbreak was caused by a "brand-new viral pneumonia."

"The concern now is whether the game (sold at the market) is one of the reasons for the outbreak," he told CNN.

According to Hui, many new pathogens have been transmitted to humans from animals. The coronavirus that causes SARS was traced to the civet cat, a wild animal considered a delicacy in parts of southern China, where the epidemic first broke out. And dromedary camels are considered a likely source of MERS, he said.

Authorities have said that there has been no obvious evidence of human-to-human transmission so far, and no healthcare workers have been infected. At least 163 people who have had close contact with those infected have been placed under medical observation.

But there are still fears of a nationwide epidemic. The outbreak came just before the start of the busy Lunar New Year travel season, when hundreds of millions of Chinese are expected to be crammed into trains, buses and planes for family reunions. Millions of Chinese are also expected to travel overseas around Lunar New Year, which falls on January 25.

Professor Leo Poon, a virologist at Hong Kong University and a SARS expert, said the severity of the situation to come depends on whether the pneumonia in Wuhan can be transmitted among humans.

"If it only transmits from animals to humans, now that the market has been shut down and sanitized, the chances for people to be infected will be low," he said.

Hui, from Chinese University, said the possibility of human-to-human transmission cannot be ruled out.

"Most often, respiratory viruses can be transmitted among humans. It is only a matter of how contagious it is," he said.


Asia steps up screening

The current outbreak in Wuhan has put Asian governments on close watch, stepping up preventive measures such as airport temperature screening and notification requirements.

In Hong Kong, 21 people have been found with fever or respiratory symptoms after returning from Wuhan, according to the city's Hospital Authority. Seven of them have been discharged, and so far none of them has been linked to the cluster of pneumonia in Wuhan. Travelers arriving from Wuhan are also being screened at Hong Kong airport.

In Singapore, travelers arriving from the Chinese city are also required to go through temperature screening, according to the Ministry of Health. Doctors have been alerted to look out for suspected cases of pneumonia among people who recently returned from there.

In South Korea, the country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set up a quarantine task force and warned visitors to Wuhan not to touch wild animals or poultry, or visit local markets.

Taiwan on Sunday stepped up measures by expanding the conditions for notification of suspected cases of Wuhan pneumonia, according to government-run news agency CNA.

The World Health Organization said in a statement Sunday that "there is limited information to determine the overall risk of this reported cluster of pneumonia of unknown etiology."

It said it does not recommend any specific measures for travelers, and "advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China based on the current information available on this event."

Fall and winter months are traditionally prone to flu epidemics. In the United States, the current flu season is shaping up to be one of the worst in decades, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases.

He said while it is impossible to predict how the flu will play out, the season so far is on track to be as severe as the 2017-18 flu season, which was the deadliest in more than four decades, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Source:   https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/06/health/china-pneumonia-intl-hnk/index.html
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China mystery illness: travellers checked as officials fear lunar new year could spread bug


Pneumonia-like illness in Wuhan is unclear in origin, with officials racing to contain outbreak before people travel for new year

Lily Kuo

Tue 7 Jan 2020 06.34 GMT
Last modified on Tue 7 Jan 2020 20.25 GMT

China has been battling what may be a new strain of pneumonia after 59 people contracted a mysterious respiratory illness in central China, prompting fears of another Sars outbreak.

Health officials are worried about the upcoming Spring Festival in late January, when China celebrates lunar new year and millions of people will be travelling across the country to go home. Authorities have warned citizens to be on the lookout for symptoms like fever, difficulty breathing or body ache.

On Tuesday, Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, said health officials had “strengthened measures on all borders”.Since Monday, all travellers arriving on trains from Wuhan have been subjected to body temperature checks.

Health authorities in Wuhan first reported 27 cases of an unidentified pneumonia-like illness at the end of December, a figure that jumped to 59 as of Sunday. The patients, seven of whom are in critical condition, have been quarantined. There have been no reported deaths.

Authorities said epidemiologists have ruled out the possibility of Sars, the deadly respiratory virus that spread to at least 37 countries and killed more than 800 people in 2002 and 2003, an outbreak made worse by a government cover-up.

Wuhan officials said there was no “clear” evidence of human-to-human transmission. Investigators also ruled out Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) and bird flu. Symptoms of the mysterious virus include fevers, problems breathing and invasive lesions to both lungs, shown in radiographs.

Some of the patients worked at a seafood market in the city, according to the health commission, suggesting the possibility of animal-to-human transmission. Several shops at the market also sold wild animals including birds, snakes, deer, groundhogs, according to Chinese media reports.

The market has been shuttered since New Year’s Day. Shopkeepers nearby said they were concerned about the apparent outbreak but continued normal operations.

“Of course we are worried but we don’t wear face masks. It isn’t good for business and also nothing has been confirmed yet,” said a woman surnamed Huang, who sells eyeglasses near the seafood market.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday it was closely monitoring the situation and was in “close contact” with Chinese authorities. “There is limited information to determine the overall risk of this reported cluster of pneumonia of unknown etiology,” the organisation said.

Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, is a major urban centre with a population of more than 10 million. Local authorities have identified 120 close contacts that are now under medical observation, according to the WHO. Wuhan authorities said they were also carrying out extra sanitation and hygiene measures, and investigating the cause of the virus.

Elsewhere in the region citizens braced for the worst. In Hong Kong, which was hit badly by the Sars outbreak, shoppers stockpiled face masks. Hospitals have reported 21 patients with fevers and other respiratory symptoms who recently visited Wuhan. Seven have been discharged and the other cases have so far not proven to be related to the cluster in Wuhan.

In Singapore, where travellers coming from the city are now required to go through temperature screening, a three-year-old Chinese girl who had travelled to Wuhan was quarantined. On Sunday, officials said she had a common childhood respiratory infection.

Authorities also appear to worried about panic spreading, with censors on Weibo blocking the hashtag #WuhanSARS. While Chinese media have been reporting on the outbreak, citizens who remember the Sars cover-up still mistrust the information released by their government.

Online internet users questioned authorities assurance that there were no examples of “clear human-to-human transmission” of the infection.

One user wrote: “Do we have to wait until it is ‘obvious’ before we fix the situation?”


Source:   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/07/china-mystery-illness-travellers-checked-as-officials-fear-lunar-new-year-could-spread-bug
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote carbon20 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 07 2020 at 1:37pm
I think ASF is to blame..

It's reasorted with an Avian Flu....

We all know this is possible....

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖

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That is a scary theory, Carbon. It is not likely, as there is so little RNA in common between the two viruses. But if it were to happen, China is the place.

A New, Unidentified Virus Is Causing Pneumonia Outbreak in China, Officials Say

Nothing much new, but a nice and accurate summary.

By Nicoletta Lanese - Staff Writer a day ago

So, what is it?

The unidentified viral illness that has sickened dozens in the Chinese city of Wuhan is not severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), according to local health officials.    

In the early 2000s, an outbreak of SARS swept the globe, infecting more than 8,000 people and killing more than 750, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The epidemic began in China and hit the country harder than any other, so when an unknown form of pneumonia recently emerged in Wuhan, it stirred rumors of a second SARS outbreak. Now, local health officials have officially crossed SARS off the list of potential culprits, according to The New York Times.

Officials also confirmed that the mystery illness is not Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), bird flu or an adenovirus.

As of Sunday (Jan. 5), 59 people in Wuhan have been diagnosed with the unidentified disease, presenting with symptoms of fever, body aches, breathing difficulties and lung injury. The total number of infected people is up from the 44 cases reported last week.

In addition, 21 people who recently visited the city were hospitalized in Hong Kong between Dec. 31 and Jan. 6, according to a report from the Hong Kong health department. The city will also ramp up efforts to spot feverish passengers traveling through its international airport and on its high-speed rail system, according to the report. Health authorities in Singapore are also on the alert for infected travelers and recently quarantined a young girl after her trip to Wuhan. She was later diagnosed with a common viral illness, according to the Singapore Ministry of Health.

Rumors of a potential SARS outbreak gained traction online earlier this month, but Chinese authorities have since censored the hashtag #WuhanSARS and are now investigating eight people in Wuhan who allegedly spread misleading information about the outbreak on social media, The New York Times reported. The government failed to adequately inform the public and international health agencies during the historic SARS epidemic, which may explain the reaction of Chinese citizens to this new illness.

"I have to emphasize this is a new disease,
and no one on earth has gone through this before," Leo Poon, a public health expert at the University of Hong Kong, told The New York Times. "I hope this pathogen is a less harmful one so it would not cause a major epidemic similar to SARS. It would be a nightmare for all of us."

As of yet, no health workers have contracted the mystery illness, which may indicate that the virus has not begun to spread between people, Wang Linfa, an expert on emerging infectious diseases at the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, told the Times. "We should not go into panic mode," he said.

Source: https://www.livescience.com/china-mystery-pneumonia-is-not-sars.html
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Health alert issued to Americans in China as area grapples with mystery illness

Alice Fung and Yanan Wang Associated Press
Published 1:30 PM EST Jan 7, 2020

Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. Hong Kong health chief Sophia Chan said Tuesday that a respiratory illness whose cause remains unknown will be added to an official list of diseases that medical practitioners are required to report to the government.
Andy Wong, AP

HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s health chief said Tuesday that a respiratory illness whose cause remains unknown will be added to an official list of diseases that medical practitioners are required to report to the government.

The disease – an unidentified form of viral pneumonia – has sent 59 people to the hospital in the mainland Chinese city of Wuhan in central Hubei province. As of Sunday, seven were in critical condition, while the rest were stable. Municipal authorities ruled out SARS, the severe acute respiratory syndrome that killed 700 people in 2002 and 2003.

In Hong Kong, 15 patients were treated Sunday for symptoms including fever and respiratory infection after visits to Wuhan. It is not clear whether they have the same illness as the Wuhan patients.

The U.S. Consulate General in Wuhan issued a health alert Tuesday for the pneumonia outbreak, warning travelers to Wuhan to avoid animals, as well as animal markets and products. Americans in Wuhan who feel sick should seek medical care immediately but should not travel, the alert says.

At a news conference, Chinese Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan said the “severe respiratory disease associated with a novel infectious agent” will be added to a list of reportable infectious diseases in Hong Kong’s Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance.

Security alert issued: American travelers in Israel, West Bank and Gaza amid Middle East tension
Secretary for Food and Health, Prof. Sophia Chan speaks during a news conference at the Central Government Office in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, on response measures to prevent and control the mysterious infectious disease.
Andy Wong, AP

The regulation enables the government to take stronger measures against the spread of certain diseases, such as tuberculosis and chicken pox. Actions under the ordinance could include enforcing quarantines or limiting the movement of people who are suspected to have infections.

“Under the amendment, medical practitioners will have to report suspected cases as well as carry out appropriate investigations and follow-ups to the Center for Health Protection under the Department of Health,” Chan said.

Contributing: Jay Cannon, USA TODAY

Ex-Nissan CEO fled house arrest: Japan issues arrest warrant for wife of Carlos Ghosn

Blocked at border: Dozens of Iranians and Iranian Americans report being detained at US border crossing


Source:   https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/01/07/wuhan-china-mystery-illness-health-alert-issued-americans-area/2833558001/
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Nations step up screening and await word on China's pneumonia outbreak

Lisa Schnirring | News Editor | CIDRAP News | Jan 07, 2020


As the world waits for more information about what triggered an unexplained pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China's tenth-largest city, reaction to the event continues to reverberate across Asia and beyond.

For example, Hong Kong continues to flag more sick travelers, though there's no sign any of the patients are linked to the Wuhan cluster, which is focused around a seafood market that also sold live animals such as chicken, bats, marmots, and other wild animals.

Wuhan's health department hasn't announced any new cases since Jan 5, keeping the total at 59, and so far there are no announcements about a pathogen, thought to be viral. So far tests have ruled out influenza, avian influenza, adenovirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The city is home to one of China's top labs, the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Some experts wonder if a novel coronavirus might be the cause of the outbreak.
Hong Kong respirator shortage

Hong Kong has identified 9 more sick travelers who recently visited Wuhan, and tests have already identified common respiratory viruses in four of them. According to the administrative region's Centre for Health Protection (CHP), 30 sick travelers have been evaluated since Dec 31, and 13 have been discharged.

In a related development, the CHP added unidentified pneumonia to its list of notifiable diseases, a step that gives authorities quarantine power. Also, the CHP announced a precautionary measure for blood donation, which said people who have visited Wuhan should defer donation for 14 days from their departure date.

Meanwhile, public fears of the unknown respiratory illness outbreak in a city hit by the SARS outbreak in 2003 have increased demand for N95 respirators, and supplies are running low in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported today.

Some retailers have doubled or tripled the price of the masks in response to the increased demand, though doctors have said there's no signs that any cluster-related cases have been detected in Hong Kong.
Screening in Vietnam; US Embassy alert

In Vietnam, the health ministry has asked hospitals to monitor patients from or who have recently visited Wuhan and asked health departments to increase health checks at border gates and use remote body temperature devices, VN Express International, an online newspaper based in Hanoi, reported today.

Also, the US Embassy & Consulates in China today posted a health alert about Wuhan's unidentified pneumonia outbreak, following a US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alert yesterday.

The US Embassy urged travelers to Wuhan to avoid live or dead animals, animal markets, and products that come from animals such as uncooked meat. It also advised travelers to avoid contact with sick people and to wash hands often with soap and water.

It also listed steps for Wuhan travelers who feel sick, including staying home except when seeking medical care, avoiding travel when sick, and calling ahead to the clinic or emergency department before seeking care.


Source and pertinent links:   http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/01/nations-step-screening-and-await-word-chinas-pneumonia-outbreak
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US warns citizens in China over mystery pneumonia outbreak


January 7, 2020

Americans travelling in China should avoid animals and contact with sick people as the country grapples with a mystery pneumonia outbreak, the US embassy in China said Tuesday.

The viral illness was first reported last week in Wuhan, a central Chinese city with a population of over 11 million, and has since grown to at least 59 cases.

Chinese health officials have ruled out a resurgence of the highly contagious SARS virus, which killed hundreds more than a decade ago, after fears spread online that it had made a comeback.

"Be aware and practice usual precautions," said the health alert issued by the US embassy, which urged citizens to seek medical care "right away" if they felt sick after travelling to Wuhan.

The outbreak of pneumonia comes just a few weeks before China's busiest travel season of the year, when millions of people take buses, trains and planes for Lunar New Year.

The upcoming holiday has prompted concerns in Taiwan, where vice premier Chen Chi-mai has urged the island's health and welfare ministry to strengthen quarantine controls at airports and "plan properly".

On Monday, Taiwan's centre for disease control also advised residents planning to travel to or near Wuhan to wear masks and avoid contact with wild animals.

In Hong Kong, authorities say 30 people have been hospitalised after returning from Wuhan in recent days and displaying flu-like illnesses but none were confirmed to have contracted the mystery new strain.

Thirteen of them have been discharged, said Hong Kong authorities Tuesday.


Nonetheless, officials have raised the alert level to "serious" and rolled out extra monitoring measures.

So far, none of the 59 patients infected with pneumonia have died though seven are seriously ill, according to Wuhan's health commission.

All are being treated in quarantine and no obvious evidence of human-to-human transmission has been found so far, it said Sunday.

The infection broke out between December 12 and 19, with some of the patients employed at a seafood market in the city that has since been closed for disinfection.

Avian flu and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) have also been ruled out alongside SARS, it added.

"The reported link to a wholesale fish and live animal market could indicate an exposure link to animals," the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Sunday.

"Pneumonia is common in the winter season," it added, and said the concentration of cases should be handled "prudently".


Source:   https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-01-citizens-china-mystery-pneumonia-outbreak.html
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Albert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 08 2020 at 5:15am
We would think China would be fast to report today that no new cases have been reported in a couple of days. Or is China no longer reporting new cases?
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My guess is the latter, Boss.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote carbon20 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 08 2020 at 3:55pm
the silence is deafening
Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CRS, DrPH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 08 2020 at 6:09pm
Starting to look like a corona-virus, just like SARS and MERS. I thought that was the most likely candidate.

The seafood market at the center of the investigation also sold live animals such as poultry, bats, marmots, and snakes. In the SARS outbreak, bats harbored the virus, which passed it to palm civets as the intermediate host, which then transmitted the virus to people in the live-market setting.

Ye Gods, is there anything those people WON'T eat? No wonder they have so many exotic virus outbreaks!
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https://www.rt.com/news/477777-chinese-pneumonia-coronavirus-sars/

Though Chinese researchers have ruled out SARS in the recent outbreak – as well as bird flu, adenovirus and other common respiratory infections – the WHO said a “novel coronavirus” currently unknown to science could instead be at work. Unlike SARS, which spreads with relative ease, Chinese scientists say the new bug does not appear to be exceptionally contagious, one sign that another culprit is behind the upsurge in pneumonia.

The same illness may have also spread to Hong Kong and South Korea, with similar reports of respiratory infections from people who recently traveled to Wuhan. Fifteen such patients are now being treated in Hong Kong, with only one known case in South Korea.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote carbon20 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 09 2020 at 4:12am
Coronaviruses are species of virus belonging to the subfamily Coronavirinae in the family Coronaviridae, in the order Nidovirales.[1][2] Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses with a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome and with a nucleocapsid of helical symmetry. The genomic size of coronaviruses ranges from approximately 26 to 32 kilobases, the largest for an RNA virus.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote EdwinSm, Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 09 2020 at 5:25am
Wuhan pneumonia outbreak: Mystery illness 'caused by coronavirus'

Originally posted by BBC BBC wrote:

Scientists believe they may have found the cause of the mystery pneumonia that has infected almost 60 people in the Chinese city of Wuhan since December.

Preliminary tests indicated the illness may be caused by a new coronavirus, lead scientist Xu Jianguo told the official Xinhua news agency.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had also said a coronavirus could be to blame for the outbreak.

So far, 59 cases have been reported, seven of which are considered critical.

Mr Xu, who is leading efforts to identify the cause, said they had found the "new type" of coronavirus by testing infected blood samples and throat swabs collected from 15 people.


With seven in critical condition this is serious,
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Albert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 09 2020 at 3:22pm
No news from China whatsoever. Nothing on people recovering, nothing on new cases, ZILCH.   China will no long release news unless they lose containment, such as with Sars. China is the cesspool of the world for spawning new diseases... but transparency is not their gig.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CRS, DrPH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 10 2020 at 12:22pm
Originally posted by Albert Albert wrote:

No news from China whatsoever. Nothing on people recovering, nothing on new cases, ZILCH.   China will no long release news unless they lose containment, such as with Sars. China is the cesspool of the world for spawning new diseases... but transparency is not their gig.


I agree, Boss. African Swine Fever Virus will break out eventually to US herds, as did porcine epidemic diarrhea (one of my contacts in US Govt told me that the porcine diarrhea was likely deliberately spread in the USA by China).

When you stir-fry civet cats, bats, snakes and birds in a live market environment, well, viruses will re-assort and break out.   
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Albert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 10 2020 at 1:07pm
Hi Chuck, your input is always greatly appreciated. I suppose we have one more virus around now that can recombine and mix. I edited-off the last line from my previous post regarding the cats, lol. Hard to believe in parts of China what they will eat. Basically anything that crawls, and no surprise with China in not releasing news any longer. A very smart culture, yet very barbaric by many standards.   


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Technophobe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 10 2020 at 3:30pm
[It looks as if you are both right! The probability is it is a zoonosis from a bat and the lead scientist from this study did not respond to emails from the anyone.]


Mystery virus found in Wuhan resembles bat viruses but not SARS, Chinese scientist says


By Dennis NormileJan. 10, 2020 , 12:30 PM

SHANGHAI—A new coronavirus identified by Chinese scientists is the putative cause of an outbreak of unusual pneumonia in the central city of Wuhan, according to Chinese news reports yesterday. In an interview today with Science, Xu Jianguo, head of an evaluation committee advising the Chinese government, confirmed that scientists have a complete sequence of the novel virus’s genome.

The World Health Organization on 9 January requested sequence data, a spokesperson in Geneva says, and many scientists urge the country to make the sequence public quickly, but the decision is up to the top leadership of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, says Xu, who is director of the Beijing-based State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, part of China CDC. (The center’s head, George Gao, did not respond to emails from Science seeking comment.)


Xu says the investigation is being led by China CDC but numerous groups in other government agencies are involved. “Plenty of people are working on the outbreak,” he says. The role of the evaluation committee Xu leads is to review all the findings and make recommendations to the National Health Commission. Xu also said the novel coronavirus resembles known bat viruses, but not the coronaviruses that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).


The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Q: The virus has been isolated from one patient, is that correct?

A: Correct. Two groups isolated the virus from samples from one patient. The viruses are nearly identical in morphology under electron microscopy. Researchers did laboratory investigations of 34 patients. A total of 15 were positive for the novel virus, [based on] sequencing samples of [fluid injected into the lung and collected for examination]. The teams got complete genome sequence data from about 10 patients. They are now attempting to isolate the virus from those samples as well. There are 19 cases with no evidence of the virus. There is no information available for the results of the remaining 25 cases.

Q: How close is this new virus to the SARS coronavirus?

A: The virus is similar to some of the published viruses collected from bats. But it is not close to SARS and not close to MERS.

Q: Are close contacts of patients and market workers being tested for antibodies to the new virus?

A: [Investigators] have just gotten the virus, they now need the chance to prepare reagents for antibody tests, but there are no data yet.

Q: The 5 January report from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, the latest available, says a total of 59 pneumonia patients have been identified as possibly carrying the virus. Have more patients been found?

A: It should be mentioned that the 59 reported pneumonia patients in Wuhan were clinically diagnosed; of those, 15 were confirmed to be infected by the new coronavirus. No new patients have appeared, as far as I understand. It’s good news. People fear something like SARS in 2003, but this is a different case. The outbreak is limited, but we should test patients one by one [to identify] pneumonia caused by other pathogens.

Q: Are researchers trying to replicate the disease in lab animals to prove that it is really the cause of the outbreak?

A: People have recommended that [investigators] do tests to see if the virus can cause the infection in animals, but they need time.

Q: Is there any progress in tracing the original source of the virus?

A: I have no information. Personally, I’m interested, too. The virus looks like viruses isolated from bats, but how it was transmitted from bats to people is still a question. Several groups in China have been working on bat coronaviruses for years. I imagine they’re working on this but so far there is no information.

Q: Are other live animal markets being checked?

A: The Wuhan market has been closed. I have no information about other [markets]. Wild animals carry the risk of exposing people to new viruses. I think we should have more strict regulations and inspections of markets that sell wild animals, especially since the source of the new coronavirus has not been identified and eliminated.



Source:   https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/01/mystery-virus-found-wuhan-resembles-bat-viruses-not-sars-chinese-scientist-says
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote EdwinSm, Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 10 2020 at 10:54pm
I think that this was written before the bat information

Mystery Chinese virus: How worried should we be?

Originally posted by BBC BBC wrote:

Is it serious?

Coronaviruses can cause symptoms ranging from a mild cold all the way through to death.

This new virus appears to be somewhere in the middle.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Technophobe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 11 2020 at 6:52am

First death from China mystery illness outbreak


Man dies in outbreak that has infected 41 people as early tests point to new type of the coronavirus responsible for Sars epidemic

Reuters in Shanghai

Sat 11 Jan 2020 05.24 GMT
January. A man in China has become the first fatality in the outbreak of an unidentified illness. Photograph: Yonhap/EPA

A 61-year-old man has died from pneumonia in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in an outbreak of a yet to be identified virus while seven others are in critical condition, Wuhan health authorities say.

In total 41 people have been diagnosed with the pathogen, which preliminary lab tests cited by Chinese state media earlier this week pointed to a new type of coronavirus, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said on Saturday in a statement on its website.

Two of them have been discharged from hospital and the rest are in stable condition, while 739 people deemed to have been in close contact with the patients have been cleared, it said.
China's Sars-like illness worries health experts


The man, the first victim of the outbreak that began in December, was a regular buyer at the seafood market and had been previously diagnosed with abdominal tumours and chronic liver disease, the health authority said. Treatments did not improve his symptoms after he was admitted to hospital and he died on the evening of 9 January when his heart failed.

No new cases had been detected since 3 January, the commission added.

The Wuhan health authority also said the patients were mainly vendors and buyers at a seafood market in the city, and that to date no medical staff had been infected, nor had clear evidence of human-to-human transmission been found.

The World Health Organisation said on Thursday that a newly emerging member of the family of viruses that caused the deadly outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) could be the cause of the present outbreak.
Mystery viral outbreak in Hong Kong revives fears of Sars epidemic
Read more

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause infections ranging from the common cold to Sars. Some of the virus types cause less serious disease, while some like the one that causes Mers are far more severe.

The outbreak comes ahead of the lunar new year holidays in late January, when many of China’s 1.4 billion people will be travelling to their home towns or abroad. The Chinese government expects passengers to make 440m trips via rail and another 79m trips via airplanes.

The Wuhan health authority also urged the public to take more precautions against infectious diseases and said it was pushing ahead with tests to diagnose the pathogen, as of Friday completing nucleic acid tests.

Hong Kong’s health department said in a separate statement on Saturday that it strengthened checks and cleaning measures at all border check points, including the port, airport and the city’s high-speed rail station, which receives passengers from Wuhan city.
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In 2003, Chinese officials covered up a Sars outbreak for weeks before a growing death toll and rumours forced the government to reveal the epidemic. The disease spread rapidly to other cities and countries. More than 8,000 people were infected and 775 died.


Source:   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/11/china-mystery-illness-outbreak-causes-first-death
Same tale - different source:   https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/chinas-mysterious-virus-claims-first-victim
and again at: https://in.reuters.com/article/china-health-pneumonia/man-infected-with-mysterious-virus-in-china-dies-after-outbreak-idINKCN1ZA03X
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Albert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 11 2020 at 7:29am
Originally posted by Technophobe Technophobe wrote:

[It looks as if you are both right! The probability is it is a zoonosis from a bat and the lead scientist from this study did not respond to emails from the anyone.]

Mystery virus found in Wuhan resembles bat viruses but not SARS, Chinese scientist says




Well then there is a very fine line between this outbreak and SARS, since SARS is also a bat virus (coronavirus), I believe. If this is a bat virus, then it is a first cousin to SARS, or SARS itself. China has a past of covering SARS, and since they will not release the sequencing, I find it once again a little suspect.

After following outbreaks in China for the last 15 years here, their M.O is always the same....





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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jacksdad Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 11 2020 at 3:04pm
Yep. You know it was just a matter of time before they went silent and stopped sharing information. No surprises there.



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CRS, DrPH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 11 2020 at 10:42pm
Dr. Osterholm has indicated that, perhaps, China is changing its tune on reporting:

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/01/china-releases-genetic-data-new-coronavirus-now-deadly

In quickly moving developments last night, health officials from Wuhan, China, posted a novel coronavirus (nCoV) pneumonia outbreak update, which scaled back the number of cases to 41 and noted the first death, and researchers from China released the genetic sequence of the nCoV.

And this morning the World Health Organization (WHO) released several interim guidance documents, including advice on travel, lab testing, and medical evaluation.

Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, said he's pleased to see that health officials and scientists in China have released as much information as they have. He said the main focus now turns toward identifying the animal species that transmitted nCoV to humans and determining whether exposure to those animals poses a threat of outbreaks in other areas.
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