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China Investigates SARS Like Pneumonia Disease

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Topic: China Investigates SARS Like Pneumonia Disease
Posted By: Technophobe
Subject: China Investigates SARS Like Pneumonia Disease
Date Posted: December 31 2019 at 5:07am
China Investigates Respiratory Illness Outbreak Sickening 27


By Associated Press
December 31, 2019 04:54 AM



BEIJING - Chinese experts are investigating an outbreak of respiratory illness in the central city of Wuhan that some have likened to the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic.

The city's health commission said in a statement Tuesday that 27 people had fallen ill with a strain of viral pneumonia, seven of whom were in serious condition.

It said most had visited a seafood market in the sprawling city, apparently pointing to a common origin of the outbreak.

Unverified information online said the illnesses were caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which emerged from southern China and killed more than 700 people in several countries and regions. SARS was brought under control through quarantines and other extreme measures, but not before causing a virtual shutdown to travel in China and the region and taking a severe toll on the economy.

However, the health commission said the cause of the outbreak was still unclear and called on citizens not to panic.



Source:    https://www.voanews.com/science-health/china-investigates-respiratory-illness-outbreak-sickening-27" rel="nofollow - https://www.voanews.com/science-health/china-investigates-respiratory-illness-outbreak-sickening-27

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.



Replies:
Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: December 31 2019 at 6:40pm
Good find. This is not good if it's Sars v2. 27 people ill would be a large cluster for Sars.

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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: December 31 2019 at 8:10pm
When the government tells you not to panic that is when you RUN! Movie: 2012

We can learn a lot from movies!


Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: December 31 2019 at 8:40pm
Originally posted by FluMom FluMom wrote:

When the government tells you not to panic that is when you RUN! Movie: 2012

lol


… and when China says 27 it's more like 270.

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Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 01 2020 at 2:00am
Things are getting worse. I just missed this article: https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/eib9ut/a_scary_unidentified_virus_is_spreading_in_china/" rel="nofollow - https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/eib9ut/a_scary_unidentified_virus_is_spreading_in_china/ they removed it just before I got there to post it.

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: John L.
Date Posted: January 01 2020 at 3:21am
This could also be a dangerous new drifted flu virus. Definitely bares watching.

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John L.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 01 2020 at 3:36am
Technophobe: It is probably Pneumonia or SARS, it is currently unclear which is most likely.

31st December 2019

Chinese health chiefs investigate respiratory illness outbreak

By Press Association 2019



Chinese experts are investigating an outbreak of respiratory illness in the central city of Wuhan which some have likened to the 2002-2003 Sars epidemic.

The city’s health commission said 27 people had fallen ill with a strain of viral pneumonia, seven of whom are in serious condition.

It said most had visited a seafood market in the sprawling city, apparently pointing to a common origin of the outbreak.

Unverified information online said the illnesses were caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), which emerged from southern China and killed more than 700 people in several countries and regions.

Sars was brought under control through quarantines and other extreme measures, but not before causing a virtual shutdown to travel in China and the region and taking a severe toll on the economy.

However, the health commission said the cause of the outbreak is still unclear and called on citizens not to panic.


Source:    https://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/uk_national_news/18129889.chinese-health-chiefs-investigate-respiratory-illness-outbreak/" rel="nofollow - https://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/uk_national_news/18129889.chinese-health-chiefs-investigate-respiratory-illness-outbreak/

Of course we may never know; China is the master of the coverup/silence, after all. Perhaps we do not want to know, as the only way we are likely to find anything out is if it has already spread widely and is now eligible for pandemic status. Let's hope not.


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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 01 2020 at 3:48am
This might get a bit rrepetitive (SORRY!), but there does seem to be a small attempt at a cover-up so I am posting what I can find before there is any chance to remove it.

Hong Kong takes emergency measures as mystery ‘pneumonia’ infects dozens in China’s Wuhan city

    Most patients worked at a seafood market and health workers are still trying to identify virus responsible
    City authorities tell hospitals to report any more cases of the illness, which is described as being ‘of unknown origin’

SCMP
Mandy Zuo in Shanghai, Lilian Cheng , Alice Yan , Cannix Yau

Published: 2:35pm, 31 Dec, 2019

Updated: 1:17am, 1 Jan, 2020


News

China shuts seafood market linked to mystery viral pneumonia outbreak

1 Jan 2020

Law enforcement officers stand guard outside the seafood market in Wuhan that was ordered to close after a mystery flu outbreak. Photo: Yangtze

Wuhan’s Huanan seafood market, where most of the mystery viral pneumonia cases have originated. Photo: HandoutWuhan’s Huanan seafood market, where most of the mystery viral pneumonia cases have originated. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong health authorities are taking no chances with a mysterious outbreak of viral pneumonia in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, warning of symptoms similar to Sars and bird flu as they step up border screening and put hospitals on alert.

“The situation in Wuhan is unusual, and we are not sure about the reasons behind the outbreak yet,” said Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said after an urgent night-time meeting with officials and experts on New Year’s Eve. “Since we are now in the holiday season, and Hong Kong has close transport ties with Wuhan, we must stay alert.”

With Wuhan reporting 27 infections so far, Chan said the Department of Health would increase vigilance and temperature screenings at every border checkpoint, including the city’s international airport and high-speed railway station in West Kowloon.

Hospital Authority chief executive Tony Ko Pat-sing said frontline medical staff had been alerted at public and private hospitals.

“So far, there are no suspicious pneumonia cases in public hospitals,” he said. “But once we suspect cases, including the presentation of fever and acute respiratory illness or pneumonia, and travel history to Wuhan within 14 days before onset of symptoms, we will put the patients into isolation.”

Experts from the University of Hong Kong have also been enlisted to conduct faster genetic testing of virus samples.

News of the outbreak in Wuhan came to light after an urgent notice from the city’s health department, which told hospitals to report further cases of “pneumonia of unknown origin”, started circulating on social media on Monday night.

The notice invoked memories of the 2002 and 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or Sars, which killed hundreds of people in mainland China and Hong Kong.

Over the past month, 27 patients in Wuhan – most of them stall holders at the Huanan seafood market – have been treated for the mystery illness.

The Wuhan municipal health commission said seven of the patients were seriously ill. Two had nearly recovered and were about to leave hospital, while the remaining patients were in a stable condition. Most patients had fevers and some were short of breath.

The health commission’s initial investigations, which included clinical diagnosis and laboratory tests, suggested all 27 were viral pneumonia cases.


No human-to-human infection had been reported so far, officials said, and no medical staff had contracted the disease. More pathological tests and investigations were underway.

Microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung from the University of Hong Kong noted similarities with the 1997 outbreak of avian influenza, and the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic of 2003 – all cases in Wuhan were linked to the same seafood market, reported in December, and with a severe infection rate of 25 per cent.

“But there’s no need to panic. First, compared with 2003, we have better systems in notification, testing and infection control. We also have medicines that we can try,” Yuen said.

Hong Kong public hospitals to introduce expanded test for respiratory infections for children

19 Nov 2019

“In the past, we didn’t have proper isolation facilities. If you ask me will there be any chance that the severity will be the same as in 2003, I will say the chance is low. All we have to do is to be on alert.”

The 2003 epidemic infected more than 1,750 people and killed 299 in Hong Kong.

The patients in Wuhan were under quarantine while tests and a disinfection programme were being carried out at the seafood market, the city’s health authorities said.

Qu Shiqian, a vendor at the seafood market, said government officials had disinfected the premises on Tuesday and told stallholders to wear masks.

He said he had only learnt about the pneumonia outbreak from media reports.

“Previously I thought they had flu,” he said. “It should be not serious. We are fish traders. How can we get infected?”

State television reported that a team of experts from the National Health Commission had arrived in Wuhan to lead the investigation, while People’s Daily said the exact cause remained unclear and it would be premature to speculate.

People’s Daily also quoted several hospital sources in the city who said it was likely that the virus responsible was different from Sars, which infected more than 5,300 people and killed 349 in mainland China between late 2002 and mid-2003.

Tao Lina, a public health expert and former official with Shanghai’s centre for disease control and prevention, said that while a return of Sars could not be ruled out, the public health care system was now better able to handle such an outbreak.

“We don’t know whether Sars will come back after 16 years. In human history, we’ve never seen an epidemic disappear forever without the interference of vaccines. So we have reasons to be cautious, but not to panic too much,” Tao said.

“I think we are [now] quite capable of killing it in the beginning phase, given China’s disease control system, emergency handling capacity and clinical medicine support.”

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Sars-like virus puts Hong Kong on alert

Source:    https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3044050/mystery-illness-hits-chinas-wuhan-city-nearly-30-hospitalised" rel="nofollow - https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3044050/mystery-illness-hits-chinas-wuhan-city-nearly-30-hospitalised


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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 01 2020 at 3:51am
There is a video with this one, but I can't post it. Hopefully it will stay in place as the Independant is well named.

Nearly 30 people struck by outbreak of mystery illness in Chinese city

Experts suspect link to seafood market, but residents fear return of Sars epidemic that killed hundreds

    Jane Dalton
    @JournoJane
    17 hours ago

Health chiefs in China are investigating an outbreak of a respiratory illness that some people have likened to the 2003 Sars epidemic that killed nearly 800 people.

Doctors say 27 people have fallen ill in December with a suspected strain of viral pneumonia, seven of whom are in serious condition.

Most of the sick had visited a seafood market in the central city of Wuhan, and experts are investigating whether the disease is linked to it.

“The cause of the disease is not clear,” the official People’s Daily newspaper posted online, citing hospital officials. “We cannot confirm it is what’s being spread online, that it is the Sars virus. Other severe pneumonia is more likely.”

Experts from the National Health Commission travelled to Wuhan to lead the investigation into the disease, state television reported.

Doctors have yet to identify the virus responsible but initial laboratory tests showed that the cases were viral pneumonia and had not spread from person to person, according to the Wuhan health commission.

Patients were isolated and their close contacts were under medical observation. An investigation and clean-up were under way at the seafood market, the commission said.


Two of the 27 had improved so much they were expected to leave hospital soon, the health authorities added.

Social media users suggested the outbreak could be linked to Sars, which emerged in southern China in late 2002, spreading rapidly to other cities and countries.

More than 8,000 people were infected worldwide and 775 died, according to the World Health Organisation.

Chinese authorities covered up the outbreak for weeks before a growing death toll and rumours forced the government to reveal the epidemic, apologise and vow full openness in future outbreaks.

One man in Britain who was in contact with a Hong Kong businessman was the first person in the UK to become infected.

Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-illness-outbreak-sars-pneumonia-sick-virus-wuhan-health-a9265506.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-illness-outbreak-sars-pneumonia-sick-virus-wuhan-health-a9265506.html

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 01 2020 at 3:56am
SARS fears in China as 27 patients are struck down with 'unidentified' type of pneumonia similar to the killer virus of the early 2000s


    Experts investigating mystery disease that has plagued 27 people in Wuhan city
    Officials fear outbreak is linked to deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
    In 2003, 775 people died from virus and China attempted to cover outbreak up

By Connor Boyd Health Reporter For Mailonline

Published: 09:24, 31 December 2019 | Updated: 03:04, 1 January 2020


Almost 30 people have been struck down with an 'unidentified' form of pneumonia in China, sparking fears of another SARS epidemic.

Seven patients in Wuhan, Hubei province, are fighting for their lives in hospital from the mysterious disease.

Experts have been drafted in to investigate the cause of the disease, which officials fear is linked to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The highly contagious virus, a form of pneumonia, killed hundreds of people in China and Hong Kong in the early 2000s. No cases have been recorded in the world since 2004.

The Wuhan Wuhan Municipal Health Commission today issued an emergency alert about the cases, which have all occurred since the start of December.

The organisation said hospitals across the city have treated a 'successive series of patients with unexplained pneumonia'.
A team of experts have been drafted in to investigate the 'unidentified' pneumonia that has plagued 27 people in Wuhan city, in Hubei province. Most patients worked at Wuhan’s Huanan seafood market

A team of experts have been drafted in to investigate the 'unidentified' pneumonia that has plagued 27 people in Wuhan city, in Hubei province. Most patients worked at Wuhan's Huanan seafood market

Of the people infected, seven are in critical condition, 18 are stable and two are on the verge of being discharged soon.

All of the patients have been isolated and their close contacts are under medical observation, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said.

An investigation and cleanup were under way at a seafood market in the city where most of the patients worked.

It is suspected to be connected with the cases. Initial laboratory tests showed that the cases were viral pneumonia.

No obvious human-to-human transmission had been found and no medical staff had been infected, the commission said.

Experts from the National Health Commission is to carry out further tests, in hope of finding a cause of the cases.

An unnamed hospital source told the official People's Daily newspaper: 'The cause of the disease is not clear.

'We cannot confirm it is what's being spread online, that it is SARS virus. Other severe pneumonia is more likely.'

Central Hospital in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where an 'unknown pneumonia' has left seven people fighting for their lives

An official at Wuhan Central Hospital, where local media said some of the cases are being treated, declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

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 World Health Organization (WHO) criticised China for under reporting the number of SARS cases following the outbreak.

SARS, which emerged in southern China in late 2002, spread rapidly from south China to other cities and countries in 2003. More than 8,000 people were infected and 775 died.

China sacked its then health minister Zhang Wenkang for the poor handling of the crisis in 2003, several months after the first case was reported.

WHO announced that China was free of the deadly SARS virus in May 2004.

Since 2004, there have not been any known cases of SARS reported anywhere in the world, the NHS says.


Source:    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7839625/Dozens-struck-unidentified-pneumonia-China.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7839625/Dozens-struck-unidentified-pneumonia-China.html

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 01 2020 at 3:58am
That is it so far. I will post anything else I find. But I can't promise not to be repetitive, as almost everyone is saying exactly the same things, just differently organised/expressed. I am posting without taking the time to weed out old news from new because I don't trust the stuff to stay visible for long.

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 01 2020 at 4:53am
China investigates SARS-like virus as dozens struck by pneumonia

Health experts have been dispatched to the central city of Wuhan after 27 people were struck down by viral pneumonia. A 2003 outbreak of the highly-contagious SARS virus was covered up and killed hundreds of people.

Chinese health authorities on Tuesday said they are investigating 27 cases of viral pneumonia in central Hubei province, amid online speculation that it could be linked to the SARS flu-like virus that killed hundreds of people a decade ago.

A team of senior health experts were dispatched to the city of Wuhan and were reported by state broadcaster CCTV to be "conducting relevant inspection and verification work."

Wuhan health officials issued an emergency notification on Monday after local hospitals treated a "successive series of patients with unexplained pneumonia."

Of the 27 reported cases, seven are in a critical condition and 18 are stable, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said on Tuesday on its Weibo social media account.

The condition of two other patients had improved to the point where they would be discharged soon, it said.

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

'Report cases quickly'

The emergency notification urged hospitals to offer treatment and report cases in a "timely manner."

The commission added that an investigation and cleanup were underway at a seafood market in the city, which is suspected to be connected with the cases.

Initial laboratory tests showed that the cases were viral pneumonia. No obvious human-to-human transmission had been found and no medical staff had been infected, the commission said.

News of the pneumonia outbreak led to speculation online that it might be linked to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a highly contagious respiratory disease.

But the official People's Daily newspaper said on Weibo: "the cause of the disease is not clear."

"We cannot confirm it is what's being spread online, that it is SARS virus. Other severe pneumonia is more likely," it said, citing hospital officials.

SARS cover-up

In late 2002, officials covered up a SARS outbreak in southern China for weeks before a growing death toll and rumors forced the government to reveal the epidemic, apologize and vow full candor in future outbreaks.

In mainland China, 349 people were killed, along with another 299 in Hong Kong. The disease spread rapidly to other cities and countries in 2003. More than 8,000 people were infected and 775 died.

SARS was brought under control through quarantines and other extreme measures, but not before causing a virtual shutdown to travel in China and the region and taking a severe toll on the economy.

mm/aw (AFP, AP, Reuters)


Source:    https://www.dw.com/en/china-investigates-sars-like-virus-as-dozens-struck-by-pneumonia/a-51843861" rel="nofollow - https://www.dw.com/en/china-investigates-sars-like-virus-as-dozens-struck-by-pneumonia/a-51843861

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 01 2020 at 5:43am

A scary unidentified virus is spreading in China

Mike Wehner @MikeWehner

December 31st, 2019 at 11:44 AM


Dozens of residents of Wuhan, the capital city of the Hubei province in China, haven hospitalized with an unidentified virus that is causing pneumonia-like symptoms. Chinese health officials have no idea how the virus is spreading or where it originated, but experts are tracking the progress of the outbreak in an attempt to halt its spread.

As the South China Morning Post reports, the sickness is being referred to as “unknown pneumonia,” though that doesn’t exactly offer much in the way of details. It seems that many of those who have been infected with the virus worked in the seafood industry and ran stalls at the Huanan seafood market, according to reports.

The illness has left at least seven people in serious condition, which needless to say is a bit scary. Thankfully, the unidentified virus has yet to claim a life. According to the Wuhan health department, at least a couple of hospitalized individuals saw their conditions improve enough to be discharged, pending a quarantine hold and further testing.

Based on what Chinese health officials have been able to figure out, none of the infections were the result of spread from one person to another. None of the doctors of hospital staff treating the patients has come down with a similar illness, and all of this suggests that the infected individuals came into contact with the virus at their place of work.

Officials are still working on getting to the bottom of the small-scale outbreak, though at the moment it would seem that they have a pretty good idea of where to look. Identifying the virus itself is a top priority, and tests are currently being run to narrow the list down, according to reports.


Source:    https://bgr.com/2019/12/31/china-pneumonia-sickness-outbreak-virus/" rel="nofollow - https://bgr.com/2019/12/31/china-pneumonia-sickness-outbreak-virus/

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 01 2020 at 12:58pm
According to China officials, no evidence of human transmission? Well, since it's viral pneumonia, that in itself is spread via h2h. China.....   

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Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 01 2020 at 2:27pm
Could it be bird flu? They are talking about chickens & poultry market, and H7N9 is fairly good with bird to human transmission. A new avian flu bug?      

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3044207/china-shuts-seafood-market-linked-mystery-viral-pneumonia" rel="nofollow - https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3044207/china-shuts-seafood-market-linked-mystery-viral-pneumonia

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Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 01 2020 at 2:33pm
With China, who knows? We all know that, not only do they employ the practices most likely to encourage zoonosis, but then have the most successful whitewash campaigns.

It is as if they WANTED to breed the next slate-wiper.

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 01 2020 at 2:38pm

Dec 31, 2019 07:34 PM

Outbreak of Mysterious Lung Disease Sparks SARS Rumors


By Ding Jie, Huang Huizhao, Su Huixian, Chen Zhinan, and Matthew Walsh

China is investigating an outbreak of viral pneumonia that had infected 27 people in the central Chinese city of Wuhan as of Tuesday.

Chinese authorities are scrambling to identify a mysterious lung disease afflicting a number of people in the city of Wuhan that sparked online speculation of a new SARS outbreak akin to the one that killed hundreds of people in China in 2002 and 2003.

In a notice published Tuesday on its website, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission confirmed that disease-monitoring organizations in the central Chinese city had recently discovered 27 cases of viral pneumonia.

Patients commonly displayed symptoms including fever, difficulty breathing, and lung damage. Among those infected, seven are in a serious condition, 18 are stable and two have become well enough to be discharged from hospital, the notice said. Most patients fell ill after visiting the same seafood market, the notice said, hinting that the virus has a common origin.

On Tuesday, unverified information that circulated widely on the Chinese internet claimed the cause of the illnesses was SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, a viral respiratory disease that infected thousands of people in southern China and Hong Kong in 2002 and 2003. The epidemic caused some 774 deaths in a number of countries and territories.

Chinese state media outlets have stressed that the cause of the current illnesses remains unknown, that fears of a new SARS epidemic are premature, and that the country has a robust system for dealing with epidemics. At the time, Chinese authorities managed to control the disease by imposing strict quarantines and travel bans. No known SARS cases are thought to have occurred since 2004.

A group of experts dispatched by China’s National Health Commission arrived in Wuhan Wednesday morning to investigate the outbreak. Wuhan’s municipal health commission told Caixin in a phone call that it had formed an emergency response team to look into the illnesses, but had not yet taken the step of announcing an epidemic.

A manager of a wholesaler in the market at the center of the investigation told Caixin that “three or four” people wearing white protective equipment arrived Wednesday morning and sprayed the entire market with what appeared to be a decontaminant. However, multiple vendors told Caixin that the market remained open as usual as of Tuesday afternoon.

Contact reporter Matthew Walsh (matthewwalsh@caixin.com)

Source:    https://www.caixinglobal.com/2019-12-31/outbreak-of-mysterious-lung-disease-sparks-sars-rumors-101499945.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.caixinglobal.com/2019-12-31/outbreak-of-mysterious-lung-disease-sparks-sars-rumors-101499945.html

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 02 2020 at 5:24am
Another person infected, and did not go to the same poultry market. Again in this article they mention bird flu. My guess is H7N9, and not sure why they have not ruled out a flu virus as of yet. China...


Hong Kong woman hospitalised and quarantined after returning from site of pneumonia outbreak in China

Woman admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital displaying symptoms of upper respiratory infection

Patient had recently returned from Wuhan, where there has been a mysterious spate of viral pneumonia cases

A woman has been quarantined in a Hong Kong hospital after displaying symptoms of upper respiratory infection, following a trip to Wuhan where a mysterious outbreak of viral pneumonia has occurred.

The Hospital Authority confirmed on Thursday that the Hongkonger, who is currently stable, was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital on New Year’s Eve.

“As the patient said she had been to Wuhan before developing symptoms, Tuen Mun Hospital immediately arranged for her to stay in an isolation ward for treatment,” a spokesman for the authority said.

A hospital source said the woman had a fever but it had subsided, adding she was in Wuhan during the Christmas break.

Another source from the authority quoted the woman as saying she did not go to Huanan seafood market, where most of the unidentified viral pneumonia cases in Wuhan had originated.

Hong Kong health authorities recently stepped up border screening and put hospitals on alert following the outbreak in the central Chinese city, warning of symptoms similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome – or Sars – and bird flu.

Samples of the Hong Kong patient have been sent to the Department of Health for further testing. The case has also been reported to the department’s Centre for Health Protection for follow-up.

The department said initial testing by its Public Health Laboratory Services Branch found negative results in the woman for Sars, influenza and bird flu.

Speaking to the Post, Professor Yuen Kwok-yung from the University of Hong Kong said next-generation sequencing, a technology that can give insight into DNA details, was still being conducted on the woman’s sample to understand the cause of her illness.
“At the moment we still haven’t identified anything significant,” Yuen said, adding that the result would possibly be available on Friday or Saturday.

He urged the public not to worry.
“Her chance of having caught something serious is slim,” he said. “In general, if a person’s fever has subsided, the chance of transmitting the disease would be much smaller.”

Macau, a city neighbouring Hong Kong, has also stepped up measures to guard against the disease. Since the start of the new year, Macau’s health authorities have been measuring the temperatures of passengers on flights from Wuhan.
Meanwhile, more than 100 district councillors signed a petition to Hong Kong’s director of health to step up efforts in preventing the spread of the disease in the city.

They called for isolated checks on passengers with fever on the high-speed rail link from Wuhan, and to disclose how many such individuals were identified, as well as for mainland authorities to reveal the areas of infections and the number of patients.

The Centre for Food Safety stated in a reply to the Post that there were no farms registered in Wuhan to supply livestock or aquatic stock to Hong Kong. There were also no such imports, including meat, from the mainland Chinese city last year.

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3044276/hong-kong-woman-hospitalised-and-quarantined" rel="nofollow - https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3044276/hong-kong-woman-hospitalised-and-quarantined

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Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 02 2020 at 6:50am
Ooooh, spreading!............................

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 02 2020 at 12:43pm
‘Unknown’ Viral Pneumonia Outbreak in China Has Hong Kong, Taiwan Worried About SARS

By Nicole Hao January 2, 2020 Updated: January 2, 2020

Hong Kong and Taiwan are on high alert following a notice from Chinese authorities on Dec. 31 that 27 people contracted an “unknown viral pneumonia” in the central city of Wuhan.

With some netizens likening the outbreak to the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic that killed almost 800 people in 2002-2003 after being covered up by Chinese authorities, the Hong Kong and Taiwan government have called for faster medical testing after Chinese authorities said they were yet to confirm the cause of the outbreak.

As China has the technology to identify viruses within 48 hours, the authority’s slow response has led many to be suspicious as to why the disease has yet to be identified.
Emergency Notice for New Outbreak

On Dec. 30, Wuhan city Health Commission released an “Emergency Notice About Unknown Pneumonia.” The notice said that several Wuhan hospitals had received pneumonia patients with similar symptoms and that no further details were available.

The notice was soon spread by Chinese netizens via different social media platforms. Although the government soon censored this information, the notice was broadly spread among overseas Chinese communities.

On Dec. 31, state-run media confirmed the outbreak but also did not have any information about the cause of the infections.

The report said patients’ symptoms included fever, having difficulty breathing and invasive lesions in both lungs. 27 people from Wuhan had fallen ill, with seven of them in serious condition.

Most of the patients were sellers at the Huanan Seafood Market located close to Hankou Railway Station in the city’s Jianghan district. That same market was linked to all SARS cases seen in Wuhan in 2003. The market is not limited to selling seafood, netizens said, but also sees various animals including cats, snakes, and marmots.

The notice added that hospitals were planning to release two of the 27 infected people in the next few days after some more treatment, while 18 other patients are in a stable condition.

The state-run People’s Daily reported on the afternoon of Dec. 31 that the initial investigating team didn’t find an obvious human-to-human transmission, and that so far, no medical staff have been infected.

“The cause of the disease is not clear,” the newspaper said on the popular social media platform Weibo, citing unnamed hospital officials. “We cannot confirm it is what’s being spread online, that it is SARS virus. Other severe pneumonia is more likely.”

The Chinese National Health Commission, a cabinet-level executive department for sanitation and health, said it has sent a group of experts to Wuhan on Dec. 31 to lead more tests and another investigation.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Taiwan have stepped up border screening and hospitals are on alert.
Hong Kong

Every day, there are four trains that run between Hong Kong and Wuhan. As a result, the presence of the disease in Wuhan has Hongkongers worried.

David Hui Shu-cheong, a professor of respiratory medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told local media on Dec. 31 that the critical situation of Wuhan’s viral pneumonia reminded him of what Hong Kong faced with SARS in 2003.

Hui pointed out that in 2003, one out of four SARS patients was in serious condition. He said mainland authorities should arrange virus tests as soon as possible. Meanwhile, people should wear a facial mask and wash their hands frequently if they plan to go to Wuhan, he added.

Yuen Kwok-yung, microbiology professor at Hong Kong University, tried to calm down the public after acknowledging that the outbreak had similarities to the 1997 outbreak of bird flu and the 2003 outbreak of SARS.

He said at a government-organized press conference on Dec. 31: “Now in Hong Kong and the mainland, the protection is better than 2003 … So I think people shouldn’t panic but must be alert, must follow the instructions from Hong Kong’s Department of Health and Hospital Authority.”
Taiwan

Fears about the disease has been a topic of great concern in Taiwan. People are worried that with the Chinese New Year holiday on Jan. 25, there is a heightened risk that the virus may be spread by Taiwanese businessmen returning from China.

Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) organized a press conference on the afternoon of Dec. 31. Lo Yi-Chun, the CDC’s deputy director, gave a briefing on the situation and said the agency had sent an inquiry email to China requesting information.

Lo said that once the Wuhan side has confirmed the type of virus, the Taiwanese government will set up an emergency working team to coordinate departments reacting to possible infections.

On Jan. 2, Taiwan News reported that a 6-year-old child who arrived in Taiwan on Dec. 31 after passing through Wuhan has developed a fever and is being closely monitored. However, the child was allowed to go home as they had not been traveling in Wuhan and had not been in contact with animals.

Since the first SARS epidemic, no additional cases of the virus have been reported so far worldwide.

The virus was first discovered in China’s Guangdong province in 2002, after which it spread to Hong Kong and other cities. At least 1,755 Hongkongers became infected with the SARS virus, of which 299 died. In neighboring Taiwan, 307 people contracted the virus, of which 47 died.

Globally, a total of 8,096 people from 31 countries contracted SARS, including Singapore, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and the Philippines.

There is currently no cure for SARS.


Source:    https://www.theepochtimes.com/unknown-viral-pneumonia-outbreak-in-china-has-hong-kong-taiwan-worried-about-sars_3190207.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.theepochtimes.com/unknown-viral-pneumonia-outbreak-in-china-has-hong-kong-taiwan-worried-about-sars_3190207.html

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Kilt5
Date Posted: January 02 2020 at 2:28pm
China on high alert following outbreak of SARS-like virus

There are fears the deadly, dreaded SARS virus has returned after 30 people were struck down by a mysterious flu in China.

At least 30 people have been quarantined in China after they were struck down by a mysterious flu-like virus of “unknown origin”, sparking fears of a return of the dreaded SARS epidemic.

A team of experts from the National Health Commission (NHC) rushed to Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province on Tuesday and are “currently conducting relevant inspection and verification work”, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

An emergency notification issued by the Wuhan municipal health committee said hospitals in the city had treated a “successive series of patients with unexplained pneumonia”.

Of the 30 struck down by the virus, seven are in a critical condition while the others are stable, the NHC said in a statement.

Most of the patients were stallholders at the local Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which has been shut down in the wake of the outbreak while authorities investigate.

Initial laboratory tests found no “apparent human-to-human transmission” and so far no medical staff had been infected, the statement said.

“Investigation of the cause of infection is ongoing,” it added.

All patients have been quarantined and their close contacts are under medical observation, according to the commission.

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/china-on-high-alert-following-outbreak-of-sarslike-virus/news-story/aa48fd89228ddbef182558f7b7b69ed5" rel="nofollow - https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/china-on-high-alert-following-outbreak-of-sarslike-virus/news-story/aa48fd89228ddbef182558f7b7b69ed5


Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 02 2020 at 3:10pm
With luck it might be a hybrid: African Swine flu/H7N9/SARS/H5N1.....

then we would really see some action on climate change.....lol

Sorry my sick sense of humor......

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

Marcus Aurelius


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 02 2020 at 5:39pm
Technophobe:   It seems that information is appearing very slowly and in tiny quanta. So, Here is the latest repitition. The only soupcon of a development, I have highlighted in yellow

No answers yet in China's pneumonia outbreak

Lisa Schnirring | News Editor | CIDRAP News
| Jan 02, 2020

As Chinese scientists continue their probe of an unusual viral pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, local officials yesterday closed the seafood market that was linked to the cases, as governments in nearby Asian destinations stepped up their surveillance in travelers and at hospitals.

The yet-unidentified source of the outbreak has led to rumors, mainly on social media, about a possible severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak and speculation about the possible emergence of a new zoonotic virus.

Earlier this week, officials in Hubei province said 27 people were sick with pneumonia, 7 of them in serious condition, and that all were isolated.

Seafood market also sold other animals

A World Health Organization (WHO) official told the South China Morning Post (SCMP) that the group is in contact with Chinese authorities and that it is closely monitoring developments. Paige Snider, senior advisor to the WHO's China office, told the paper that investigations are still underway and authorities haven't yet confirmed the pathogen that's causing the illness.

The city where the outbreak occurred is home to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, one of the country's top virology labs, which conducts work on emerging viruses and has connections with other global research groups.

According to local media cited by the SCMP report, the Huanan Seafood Market sold other animals, such as birds, pheasants, and snakes, along with organs of rabbits and other wildlife, triggering worries about the potential jump of an unknown virus to humans at the market.
China's neighbors step-up screening

In response, nearby jurisdictions have increased their border screening, and three travelers from Wuhan have been admitted to the hospital in Hong Kong.

After an inter-departmental meeting on the Wuhan pneumonia cases, Hong Kong officials briefed reporters on the developments. According to a transcript, Sophia Chan, secretary for food and health, said Hong Kong hasn't received any Wuhan-related severe pneumonia cases and that the three patients admitted to hospitals in Hong Kong had not visited the Wuhan market.

Chan also told reporters that starting tomorrow, the Hong Kong government will announce the number of related cases flagged by its heightened surveillance system. She also said surveillance has been increased at the hospital authority and the health department, notably at ports, where increased screening for patients with fevers is taking place.

Taiwan's Center for Disease Control announced similar stepped-up measures and had more details about one of the patients hospitalized in Hong Kong after travel to Wuhan, according to a government statement translated and posted by Avian Flu Diary, an infectious disease news blog. The patient had upper-respiratory symptoms and is isolated in stable condition. Rapid screening tests for seasonal flu, SARS, and avian flu were negative.


Source:    http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/01/no-answers-yet-chinas-pneumonia-outbreak" rel="nofollow - http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/01/no-answers-yet-chinas-pneumonia-outbreak

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 02 2020 at 5:40pm
Not being SARS might not be good news; better the devil you know.

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 02 2020 at 5:46pm
Nothing new here, but a sensible "summing-up".

Reports emerged earlier this week about a series of unspecified pneumonia cases in Wuhan, in the Hubei province in central China. The circumstances of the outbreak have led to speculation that the outbreak is linked to SARS, but there is no evidence at this point supporting this assertion. At this point, details are still relatively sparse, but we will look briefly at what is currently known and attempt to provide some context for this emerging event.

Unspecified Pneumonia

Initial coverage of the emerging outbreak was published on December 30, and at that time, 27 cases of the disease had been reported, all of whom had been hospitalized. Of these cases, 7 were reported as “critical,” 18 were stable, and 2 were anticipated to be discharged in the near future. All were treated in isolation. Symptoms included fever, pneumonia, and difficulty breathing, but the exact cause of the disease remains unknown. At this point, there has been no identified person-to-person transmission, but most of the patients worked at the nearby Huanan seafood market. In addition to seafood, vendors at the market also sell other animals and meat, including a variety of mammals, birds, and reptiles.

Response

Chinese health officials have been deployed to Wuhan to investigate the outbreak. Initial laboratory testing indicated that the patients were suffering from viral pneumonia, and further tests are underway to identify and characterize the virus. Local health officials have conducted inspections and disinfection activities at the seafood market, and vendors were instructed to wear masks to reduce the risk of infection. As of January 1, the seafood market has closed indefinitely “for sanitation and renovation” as part of outbreak response efforts. Case investigations and contact tracing are underway as well, and the WHO has been in contact with Chinese health officials and is monitoring the situation. To our knowledge, there have been no official statements yet by the China CDC or other national-level officials, but local health officials from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission have commented publicly on the outbreak. As an additional note, China is already in the midst of responding to a major epidemic of African swine fever (ASF), so this outbreak will only further strain China’s available public health resources.

Nearby, Hong Kong has enhanced border screening in response to the outbreak in an effort to mitigate the risk of importation. According to Dr. Sophia Chan Siu-chee, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Food and Health, “Hong Kong has close transport ties with Wuhan,” and there was concern that Hong Kong’s New Year’s Eve festivities could provide ideal conditions for rapid spread of the disease. Hong Kong hospitals have been notified to be alert for patients meeting the case definition—fever, acute respiratory symptoms or pneumonia, and recent travel to Wuhan—and ready to isolate those individuals. Additionally, the University of Hong Kong is supporting the Food and Health Bureau by providing additional capacity to rapidly process patient specimens for genetic diagnostic tests. Similarly, Taiwan CDC announced that it will increase passenger screening on flights arriving from Wuhan. The enhanced screening measures will reportedly include Taiwan CDC officials boarding the inbound planes to screen passengers before they are permitted to deboard the aircraft. Taiwan CDC officials emphasized that the disease itself “is not known to resemble SARS” and that the screening measures were part of “routine inspections and quarantine measures.” Singapore has also implemented enhanced fever screening for flights arriving from Wuhan, and the Ministry of Health has alerted doctors to be alert for potential cases. Fever screening in both Taiwan and Hong Kong have identified febrile individuals arriving from Wuhan, but none have yet been identified as possible cases linked to the outbreak.

SARS Speculation

The initial reports of a cluster of pneumonia caused by an unidentified virus prompted speculation, initially on social media and then propagated by more traditional media sources, that the outbreak was a re-emergence of SARS or something similar. At this point, any link between this outbreak and SARS is purely speculative, and viral pneumonia can be caused by a number of different viruses. Many of the media reports about the current outbreak have referenced concerns about China’s response to the emergence of SARS. The initial report to the WHO on SARS in 2003 included 305 patients with an unknown pneumonia, identified over a period of several months. WHO officials criticized China over a lack of transparency and access to outbreak data at the onset of the investigation, and China’s Minister of Health and Beijing’s mayor were both removed from office following the initial response. Since that time, however, China has improved its notification and reporting practices for outbreaks, including for H7N9 avian influenza.

Wuhan health officials confirmed the outbreak on December 31, but the initial official report lacked detailed information on the identified cases, including the timeline for symptom onset and case identification. As of January 2, there has been no further official report regarding the outbreak, patients, or response activities, including from local and national health officials in China or the WHO. An article in the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) noted that the families of some patients in Wuhan have called for additional information from doctors and health officials. Channel News Asia (Singapore) reported that police in China have arrested several individuals for deliberately spreading false information linking the outbreak to SARS. Many questions remain about the current state of the outbreak and the findings from initial investigation and contact tracing efforts.

Multiple experts interviewed in several media reports indicated that China’s capacity to identify, diagnose, isolate, and treat patients with SARS-like illnesses has significantly improved since 2003, so even if the disease is determined to be SARS, it is unlikely that it would result in a similar epidemic. Additionally, there does not appear to be any evidence of transmission to healthcare workers or within healthcare facilities, a principal driver of the SARS epidemic (approximately 20% of all SARS cases were in healthcare workers).

Analysis

It is understandable that countries would want to be on the alert for the emergence and spread of a virus with the potential to cause a serious epidemic, but speculation that this emerging outbreak in China is due to a re-emergence of SARS is just that: speculation. The outbreak does appear to share some similarities with the emergence of SARS and avian influenza in China—eg, a cluster of respiratory illness or pneumonia without an identified cause, potential exposures in market settings—but there is no evidence yet to suggest that this outbreak has epidemic potential or that it is caused by SARS or a SARS-like coronavirus. China has made considerable progress since SARS, particularly in terms of disease surveillance and reporting as well as clinical isolation capacity, and the absence of any reports of nosocomial transmission is an encouraging sign that patients have been quickly identified and properly isolated to prevent further transmission.

This situation does, however, illustrate is the importance of providing complete surveillance information, particularly for outbreaks that garner global attention. Some media reports have raised concerns about China’s responses to previous similar outbreaks, such as SARS, but the fact that Chinese health officials have already reported the initial cases and publicly initiated an epidemiological response is promising. That being said, updated information regarding the epidemiological investigation and the initial patients would be helpful at this point in the outbreak. In the absence of such information, speculation will thrive as experts and the public try to piece together the story based on incomplete and potentially inaccurate data. Frequent updates and accurate information are key to combating misinformation during outbreaks. Additionally, if there is not reliable information provided about the disease or outbreak, countries may be inclined to take measures to prevent importation of the disease that may be in excess of what would be supported by the scientific evidence. But without solid information on which to rely, it is easier for countries to make the case that these enhanced measures are necessary and effective. It is in countries’ best interest to be proactive in publishing available clinical and epidemiological information and sharing updates with the international community, both to quell rumors and misinformation and to support appropriate disease control measures domestically and in other countries.

Outbreaks of unknown etiology—especially, unknown respiratory viruses—are always worth investigating fully, so we will certainly keep a close eye on this emerging event and provide updates via our Twitter account (@Outbreaks101).


Source:    https://www.outbreakobservatory.org/outbreakthursday-1/1/2/2020/unknown-viral-pneumonia-in-china" rel="nofollow - https://www.outbreakobservatory.org/outbreakthursday-1/1/2/2020/unknown-viral-pneumonia-in-china


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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: EdwinSm,
Date Posted: January 02 2020 at 10:34pm
There is a http://english.whiov.cas.cn/" rel="nofollow - Wuhan Institute Of Virology , but I can not find anything on their pages about the new virus.

Here is an https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/18/world/asia/china-bird-flu.html" rel="nofollow - old article from 2017 talking about Avian Flu in Wuhan.




ps. Albert, thanks for the warning on the home page.


Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 03 2020 at 5:43am
Sure thing, Edwin. Thanks for the ongoing participation with great info.

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https://www.facebook.com/Avianflutalk


Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 03 2020 at 5:46am
So they have ruled out Sars and avian flu with rapid tests? Not sure what that means about this. A new Coronavirus? I suppose the mystery continues.... or China is covering something up. Again.   

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https://www.facebook.com/Avianflutalk


Posted By: EdwinSm,
Date Posted: January 03 2020 at 7:41am
Not much new news, but it hit the front page of the BBC World section in the internet news.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50984025" rel="nofollow - BBC link


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 03 2020 at 10:35am
All news sites gratefully accepted, Edwin!

China is synonymous with cover-up/whitewash, Boss; that is why all news is welcomed so intensely. - But you already knew that.

As to what it means........................

Well, initial tests usually give a guideline only. So there is no guarantee it is not SARS yet. Although, this is increasingly unlikely.

What worries me is the unknown. A novel virus might be horrific news! Then again it could be mild, without h2h transmission or even already stopped in its tracks.   With China, we just don't know...... 'And they ain't going to tell us!

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 03 2020 at 12:48pm
The W.H.O. web site is s..t,

has always been, what do they do

with the millions of dollars they get,

Certainly not up to date news....



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

Marcus Aurelius


Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 03 2020 at 12:51pm
BBC News
menu
China pneumonia outbreak: Mystery virus probed in Wuhan
03 January 2020 China
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Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESA view over Wuhan city
Image captionThe outbreak has occurred in the city of Wuhan
Chinese authorities have launched an investigation into a mysterious viral pneumonia which has infected dozens of people in the central city of Wuhan.

A total of 44 cases have been confirmed so far, 11 of which are considered "severe", officials said on Friday.

The outbreak has prompted Singapore and Hong Kong to bring in screening processes for travellers from the city.

It comes amid online fears the virus could be linked to Sars, or severe acute respiratory syndrome.

The potentially deadly, flu-like Sars virus killed more than 700 people around the world in 2002-03, after originating in China.

There has been speculation on social media about a possible connection to the highly contagious disease.

Wuhan police said eight people had been punished for "publishing or forwarding false information on the internet without verification".

The people who risked their lives to stop the virus
The Wuhan health commission said on Friday it was investigating the cause of the outbreak.

In a statement on its website, it said it had already ruled out a number of infection sources - including influenza, avian influenza and common respiratory diseases - but did not mention Sars.

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Map
There has also been no human-to-human transmission, the statement added. However, a number of those infected worked at a seafood market in the city, leading authorities to clean the area.

A spokesman for the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was aware of the outbreak and was in contact with the Chinese government.

"There are many potential causes of viral pneumonia, many of which are more common than severe acute respiratory syndrome coronovirus," the spokesman added. "WHO is closely monitoring this event and will share more details as we have them. "

Presentational grey line
Fears sparked by an older epidemic
Analysis by BBC Health's Philippa Roxby

This latest outbreak appears to have sparked memories for those who dealt with a Sars epidemic 18 years ago.

At the time, the WHO criticised China for under-reporting the number of cases of Sars in a southern Chinese province.

In the 2002-03 epidemic, the virus affected more than 8,000 people in 26 countries, killing 349 people in mainland China and 299 in Hong Kong.

Travellers flying to other countries are thought to have been behind the large number of cases in that outbreak because Sars spreads quickly without swift treatment in hospital.

China sacked its health minister at the time for the poor handling of the crisis.

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The country has been free of Sars since May 2004.

More on this story
Sars: The people who risked their lives to stop the virus
16 August 2013

Copyright © 2020 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

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

Marcus Aurelius


Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 03 2020 at 12:55pm

Hong Kong Isolates Fever Patient After Mystery Virus Hits China's Wuhan
The lack of official information about an outbreak of viral pneumonia has residents of Wuhan fearing another SARS-style cover-up.
2020-01-02

The seafood market to which an epidemic of what China is calling "pneumonia of unknown cause" was traced in Wuhan, China, Dec. 31, 2019.
Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said on Thursday it had isolated a patient who arrived from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, which state media says has seen an outbreak of "viral pneumonia" in recent days, but that she tested negative for SARS, avian and seasonal influenza.

The woman has been placed in isolation at Tuen Mun Hospital after falling sick after arriving from Wuhan, where officials are investigating 27 cases of viral pneumonia, including seven people in critical condition.

The Authority said the woman has an upper respiratory tract infection and a fever and is in a stable condition, but has tested negative for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), as well as bird flu and regular influenza.

Officials in Wuhan said that several clinics and hospitals in the city have received patients suffering from pneumonia, of which the cause was unknown. However, all patients have previously visited a seafood market in the city.

A team of experts from the National Health Commission arrived in Wuhan on Tuesday, and are "conducting relevant inspection and verification work," state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Online activist Zhang Ruigen said there are concerns that the ruling Chinese Communist Party may seek to cover up the seriousness of the outbreak, as it was accused of doing in 2003 by the World Health Organization during the SARS outbreak.

"I think the Wuhan government is cracking down on information," Zhang said. "They are trying to do a news blackout, and they are calling the truth rumors and fake news the truth."

"When SARS broke out in 2003, the government also blocked the news and said it was rumors, and then said it couldn't be covered at all," Zhang said. "This is still the same routine: they are calling it 'pneumonia of unknown cause.'"

"The first thing they think about is how not to reveal the truth. The first thing they do is detain people and censor public speech," he said.

Coverup feared

A local resident surnamed Feng agreed.

"They are deleting everything, and people are frightened because they haven't made an official announcement yet," Feng said. "I think the local government wants to cover it up, because it's the end of the year, and stability matters more than anything; that's their MO."

SARS -- described as atypical pneumonia caused by a coronavirus -- killed 349 people in mainland China and another 299 in Hong Kong in 2003. The virus, which infected more than 8,000 people around the world, is believed to have originated in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.

The WHO declared China free of the SARS virus in May 2004.

Initial reports indicated that a case of coronavirus-linked pneumonia was confirmed in the Central (No. 2) Hospital of the Tongji Medical College.

An employee who answered the phone at the hospital's department of respiratory medicine declined to comment when contacted by RFA.

"Sorry, we haven't received any feedback on the situation," the employee said.

An official who answered the phone at the Wuhan municipal health bureau said there was as yet no confirmed diagnosis of the disease.

"It should be referred to as pneumonia of unknown cause," the official said. "Don't cause panic. We haven't had any fatalities yet so people should just pay attention to hygiene and don't go to crowded places."

The seafood market that the epidemic was traced to lies close to Hankou Railway Station, which sees tens of thousands of people passing through every day, and yet the market hasn't been shut down, just subjected to disinfection routines, sources in the city told RFA.

While reports have suggested the virus may have come from infected meat at the market, health officials have said there have been no cases so far of human-to-human transmission.

Reported by Wong Siu-san and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Qiao Long for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

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

Marcus Aurelius


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 03 2020 at 4:11pm
The patient count has now reached 44 (that we know of).

China pneumonia outbreak: Thriller virus probed in Wuhan

Last updated Jan 3, 2020

Chinese authorities have launched an investigation into a mysterious viral pneumonia which has infected dozens of people in the central city of Wuhan.

A total of 44 cases have been confirmed so far, 11 of which are considered “severe”, officials said on Friday.

The outbreak has prompted Singapore and Hong Kong to bring in screening processes for travellers from the city.

It comes amid online fears the virus could be linked to Sars, or severe acute respiratory syndrome.

The potentially deadly, flu-like Sars virus killed more than 700 people around the world in 2002-03, after originating in China.

There has been speculation on social media about a possible connection to the highly contagious disease.

Wuhan police said eight people had been punished for “publishing or forwarding false information on the internet without verification”.

The people who risked their lives to stop the virus

The Wuhan health commission said on Friday it was investigating the cause of the outbreak.

In a statement on its website, it said it had already ruled out a number of infection sources – including influenza, avian influenza and common respiratory diseases – but did not mention Sars.

There has also been no human-to-human transmission, the statement added. However, a number of those infected worked at a seafood market in the city, leading authorities to clean the area.

A spokesman for the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was aware of the outbreak and was in contact with the Chinese government.

“There are many potential causes of viral pneumonia, many of which are more common than severe acute respiratory syndrome coronovirus,” the spokesman added. “WHO is closely monitoring this event and will share more details as we have them. “


Fears sparked by an older epidemic

Analysis by BBC Health’s Philippa Roxby

This latest outbreak appears to have sparked memories for those who dealt with a Sars epidemic 18 years ago.

At the time, the WHO criticised China for under-reporting the number of cases of Sars in a southern Chinese province.

In the 2002-03 epidemic, the virus affected more than 8,000 people in 26 countries, killing 349 people in mainland China and 299 in Hong Kong.

Travellers flying to other countries are thought to have been behind the large number of cases in that outbreak because Sars spreads quickly without swift treatment in hospital.

China sacked its health minister at the time for the poor handling of the crisis.

The country has been free of Sars since May 2004.

Source and links:    https://rnews.co.uk/china-pneumonia-outbreak-thriller-virus-probed-in-wuhan/" rel="nofollow - https://rnews.co.uk/china-pneumonia-outbreak-thriller-virus-probed-in-wuhan/

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 03 2020 at 4:19pm
Oh, and by the way, 121 under observation!

China pneumonia outbreak raises spectre of Sars as number infected jumps to 44

All those with the mystery illness in Wuhan are under quarantine, health authorities say, with a further 121 people under medical observation
    
The virus could be a new strain and take longer to identify, experts say

Chinese health
authorities should be on high alert for a possible new strain of pneumonia and learn from 2002’s deadly Sars epidemic, medical experts said after cases of a mystery outbreak almost doubled in three days.
The authorities in Wuhan, central China, said 44 people had been admitted to hospital with the unidentified virus, up from the 27 reported on Tuesday
. Eleven of them were in a serious condition, while a further 121 people who had been in close contact with the infected patients had been placed under medical observation. No deaths have been reported.

Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said that the origin of the viral pneumonia outbreak remained unknown. It said investigations had so far ruled out common flu, avian flu, adenovirus infection and other common respiratory diseases. Further laboratory tests and investigations were under way.

The commission added that there was no proof of human-to-human transmission, nor had any medical staff contracted the illness.

It came as Hong Kong Hospital Authority said on Friday that two female patients admitted to hospital after recently visiting Wuhan had been confirmed as having influenza, not the unidentified virus. In response to the Wuhan outbreak, airports in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan had tightened fever surveillance of arriving passengers.

Emily Chan Ying-yang, a medical professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a visiting professor at Oxford University, said the sudden rise in cases in Wuhan was “not alarming” but raised concerns that the virus may be a new strain.

It takes less than 24 hours to confirm common types of flu, but rare strains can take longer, Chan said.

“If it were Sars [Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome], we are experienced in managing it,” Chan said. “But if it is a new strain, then we should pay attention.

“The scariest thing with Sars is its fatality rate, and that young people died. We don’t know whether the serious cases in Wuhan are young or old people – that deserves attention.”

She said it was important to share information with the public once the virus and cause were identified because large numbers of people would be travelling across China during the Lunar New Year in late January.

Professor Jiang Rongmeng, of Ditan Hospital in Beijing, one of China’s top centres for treating infectious diseases, said the rise in infections was probably a consequence of active detection and reporting of unexplained pneumonia cases.

“No apparent human-to-human transmission has been detected so far, otherwise there would have been a community outbreak with more infections,” he said.

Reports so far suggested that the pneumonia could be caused by a rare virus or a previously unknown one, Jiang said, adding that identification may take up to a week.

When the Wuhan health authority first reported the outbreak on Tuesday, it said that most of the patients were stallholders at the city’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market.

Later reports confirmed that the market sold other live animals including birds and rabbits, prompting comparisons with the Sars virus, which is thought to have jumped from animals to humans. Authorities ordered the closure of the market on Wednesday.

A Wuhan government official who requested anonymity said that his wife, who is a nurse in the infectious disease unit at Wuhan Central Hospital, had been unable to go home because her ward had been under “lockdown” for the past few days.

“My kids and I can still call her on her mobile,” he said. “[But] we are very worried for her, although she said all is fine.”

Dr Gauden Galea, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) representative in China, said in a statement on Thursday that the Wuhan municipal health commission had “isolated cases, initiated contact tracing and made further efforts to prevent the spread of disease”. A national expert team had been deployed to Wuhan on Tuesday, he said.

“There are many potential causes of this type of illness and further laboratory tests are ongoing to determine the cause of the disease,” Galea said. “At this point, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus is not yet confirmed or excluded as the cause of the outbreak.”

The 2002-03 Sars epidemic infected more than 5,300 people and killed 349 in mainland China. In Hong Kong, 1,750 people were infected and 299 died. The Hong Kong government took 10 days to identify the Sars virus in 2003.

According to the WHO, the Sars coronavirus is thought to be an animal virus from an as-yet-uncertain animal reservoir, perhaps bats, that spread to other animals and first infected humans in Guangdong, near Hong Kong, in late 2002.

Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, said on Friday that the city’s government had “made necessary arrangements and strengthened prevention measures” in response to the pneumonia cases in Wuhan.

Speaking at an inspection of the West Kowloon Rail Terminus, Lam said the government would announce any cases of infection daily, and urged members of public to take appropriate personal hygiene measures.

On a Cathay Dragon flight into Wuhan on Friday evening, the flight attendants were wearing face masks, and made an announcement warning travellers to stay away from seafood markets and to seek medical attention if they experienced a fever or other symptoms.

Additional reporting by Christy Leung, Josephine Ma, Zhuang Pinghui, Linda Lew and William Zheng


Source:    https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3044535/wuhan-pneumonia-dramatic-rise-cases-44-11-serious" rel="nofollow - https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3044535/wuhan-pneumonia-dramatic-rise-cases-44-11-serious

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 03 2020 at 4:23pm
Although this is scary, it could turn out to be anything - even a storm in a teacup. So don't let it take your eyes off of other balls like Kilt's latest graphs http://www.avianflutalk.com/us-on-track-for-one-of-the-worst-flu-seasons_topic40297_post280894.html#280894" rel="nofollow - http://www.avianflutalk.com/us-on-track-for-one-of-the-worst-flu-seasons_topic40297_post280894.html#280894 . So if you have not got your flu shot yet - go do so NOW.

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: John L.
Date Posted: January 04 2020 at 12:11am
Hong Kong preparing countermeasures with cases there now up to seven.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-04/hong-kong-unveils-response-plan-for-pneumonia-outbreak-in-china?srnd=premium" rel="nofollow - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-04/hong-kong-unveils-response-plan-for-pneumonia-outbreak-in-china?srnd=premium

Technology
Hong Kong Unveils Response Plan for Pneumonia Outbreak in China
By Annie Lee
January 4, 2020, 1:44 AM EST
The government has activated response level to ‘serious’
Total number of suspected cases in Hong Kong reaches seven

Hong Kong unveiled a plan to deal with infectious diseases after a mysterious pneumonia outbreak in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

The government classified the response level as “serious” -- the second-highest scale of action in its three-tier system with the top-most being emergency, according to a statement from the Department of Health. The current classification estimates the immediate health impact on the local population to be moderate.

The total number of suspected cases in Hong Kong rose to seven, according to Radio Television Hong Kong, citing Sophia Chan, the city’s secretary for food and health. The government has decided to step up the monitoring of the situation, she said.

As of Friday, 44 people have been diagnosed with pneumonia in Wuhan, and the cause is unknown. Hong Kong authorities said thermal imaging systems will be deployed as part of increased fever surveillance at boundary check points.

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John L.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 04 2020 at 2:16am
Wuhan pneumonia outbreak: Hong Kong government steps up precautionary measures

2 January 2020

Via The Straits Times in Singapore: Wuhan pneumonia outbreak: Hong Kong government steps up precautionary measures after several cases reported. Excerpt:

    HONG KONG - The Hong Kong government has unveiled precautionary measures it has taken in response to an outbreak of pneumonia cases in the Chinese city of Wuhan, including daily briefings, local media reported.

    On New Year's Eve, officials in Wuhan announced that several clinics and hospitals in the city had received patients suffering from pneumonia and the cause was not known.

    Twenty-seven people were reported by Chinese media to have been infected, with seven of them seriously ill.

    Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said it had notified the government of three cases in which it treated patients for pneumonia symptoms after visiting Wuhan recently, public broadcaster RTHK reported.

    The Authority said a female patient in Tuen Mun Hospital and a male teenager in Tai Po Nethersole Hospital have since been discharged, but a woman is still being treated in Princess Margaret Hospital.

    Health Secretary Sophia Chan told a news briefing late on Thursday (Jan 2) that the three cases are not linked to the mysterious Sars-like disease in Wuhan, because the patients did not visit the seafood market that is believed to be the source of the virus.

    However, she said the government will start giving daily updates on suspected cases it receives from the Hospital Authority, and it is also taking other measures to protect its borders.

    "There are heightened procedures. There are increased procedures - surveillance procedures - that both the Hospital Authority as well as the Department of Health have taken," Ms Chan said.

    From Friday, additional thermal imaging systems will be put in place in the Hong Kong International Airport to check the body temperature of inbound travellers from Wuhan, RTHK reported.

    For all boundary control points including Hong Kong West Kowloon Station of the Express Rail Link, fever patients with acute respiratory symptoms who have visited wet markets or seafood markets in Wuhan within 14 days prior to the onset of the illness will be referred to public hospitals.

    The MTR Corporation, the Airport Authority, and airlines have also been advised to step up disinfection measures for Wuhan services.



Source:    https://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/2020/01/wuhan-pneumonia-outbreak-hong-kong-government-steps-up-precautionary-measures.html" rel="nofollow - https://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/2020/01/wuhan-pneumonia-outbreak-hong-kong-government-steps-up-precautionary-measures.html

Technophobe: Obviously, things have gotten worse in the last 2 days since this was published. (EdwinSm's post} But there were sa couple of points in this article I thought should be reported. This bit is an assumption and may not be correct. If wrong it indicates h2h transmission: Health Secretary Sophia Chan told a news briefing late on Thursday (Jan 2) that the three cases are not linked to the mysterious Sars-like disease in Wuhan, because the patients did not visit the seafood market that is believed to be the source of the virus.

and the increase in precautionary measures is also of interest.




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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 04 2020 at 8:21am
It would appear that Sars is back. It's about the only one that has not yet been ruled out. Canada and New York airports may want to take precautions and start screening passengers. This outbreak is under the radar and not being covered much, but that's about to change I would suspect. All hell is about to break loose if they announce Sars, unless they contain pretty quick.   

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Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 04 2020 at 9:02am
11 patients are in critical condition. From my limited experience, that usually means 11 are about to die. A 25% fatality rate would be a little concerning. Pneumonia is of course treated with antibiotics, but if it's not working, then it would certainly be reminiscent of Sars in 2003.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/alarms-raised-china-pneumonia-outbreak-infects-dozens-200104002802346.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/alarms-raised-china-pneumonia-outbreak-infects-dozens-200104002802346.html

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Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 04 2020 at 1:03pm
Not entirely sure what this is saying here. Is it saying the others infected have Sars? Is it saying that they have Sars test results in? This could be a replay of China's cover-up in 2003. China is already arresting people for talking about it online, lol.

Not sure what to make of this statement:

Health authorities in Hong Kong were on high alert following five cases of patients developing symptoms of respiratory infections and fever after visiting Wuhan, about four hours by train from Hong Kong. Two of the patients have been discharged from the hospital following a full recovery and a third has tested negative for SARS, influenza and avian flu. The government said on Friday evening that two others are awaiting test results.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Society/Asia-on-alert-over-mysterious-virus-outbreak-in-China" rel="nofollow - https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Society/Asia-on-alert-over-mysterious-virus-outbreak-in-China

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Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 04 2020 at 1:17pm
I do not know about these tests in the specific. Concerning tests in general: those deemed "preliminary" are somewhat less accurate than "detailed" or "follow-up" tests. But several SARS negative results does suggest it is not the cause.

To my mind this is not necessarily good news. If the d@mn bug tests negative for everything known, then it is (by definition) novel. New infectious diseases are nasty, as we do not have immunities for them yet. (Because those succeptable have not been removed from the gene pool - by extinction of their line.)

Hopefully, this will turn out to be nothing (China's response would be the same either way.) but it does need watching carefully.

I have researched the tests for SARS and they fall into several categories. Antibody tests and serelogical tests for viral RNA seem the main choices. But there is no effective rapid test (at least there was not in 2003 when this report was published:    http://sarsreference.com/sarsref/tests.htm" rel="nofollow - http://sarsreference.com/sarsref/tests.htm , or this one published in 2004:    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3322905/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3322905/ this later test being on average only 60% accurate.) The accuracy increases day after day from infection onwards and peaks at 11 days in - far too late for China to actually demonstrate a genuine reason to declare the specimens, and by inference the hosts, free of the virus.

To be honest all we can do is watch this space.

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 04 2020 at 1:34pm
I am a bit out of date. 85% seems to be the high point since february this year. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6362100/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6362100/

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 04 2020 at 2:49pm
Originally posted by Technophobe Technophobe wrote:


To my mind this is not necessarily good news. If the d@mn bug tests negative for everything known, then it is (by definition) novel.


I agree. Leaning toward a novel zoonotic disease. The question is, and even with limited transmission, can it now be stopped? A tank can move at a slow speed, but it still moves.      


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Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 04 2020 at 2:49pm
No new, News for 8 hours

Looks like a news blackout.......

Not looking great.....

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

Marcus Aurelius


Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 04 2020 at 3:02pm
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" rel="nofollow - https://hk.news.appledaily.com/local/realtime/article/20200104/60448286


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Posted By: Technophobe
Date 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" rel="nofollow - 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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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Albert
Date 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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Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 04 2020 at 5:49pm


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

Marcus Aurelius


Posted By: Guests
Date 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.


Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 05 2020 at 1:49am

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

Copyright © 2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

Marcus Aurelius


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 05 2020 at 4:15am
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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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: EdwinSm,
Date 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.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51000910" rel="nofollow - BBC Link


Posted By: Albert
Date 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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Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 05 2020 at 11:43am
[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" rel="nofollow - http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/202001050011.aspx


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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 05 2020 at 11:48am


"...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" rel="nofollow - https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3044723/six-more-hong-kong-patients-hospitalised-over

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Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 05 2020 at 11:49am
That really does look like h2h now.


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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Albert
Date 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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Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 05 2020 at 2:02pm
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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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖

Marcus Aurelius


Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 05 2020 at 2:10pm

"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....?

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

Marcus Aurelius


Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 05 2020 at 2:59pm
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......



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

Marcus Aurelius


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 05 2020 at 3:14pm
[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" rel="nofollow - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/05/mystery-illness-to-strike-chinese-city-is-not-sars-say-authorities-wuhan

-------------
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 05 2020 at 3:21pm
['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/" rel="nofollow - https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2020/01/05/macau-regulator-briefs-casinos-on-new-disease-prevention-measures/

-------------
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 05 2020 at 3:29pm

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" rel="nofollow - 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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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 05 2020 at 5:14pm
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" rel="nofollow - 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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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 05 2020 at 5:17pm
My bad. Singapore did tell us - I just forgot the article.

So many posts, so little brain!

-------------
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 06 2020 at 2:09am
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/" rel="nofollow - https://www.hongkongfp.com/2020/01/06/hong-kong-steps-response-china-pneumonia-outbreak/

-------------
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 06 2020 at 7:59am
[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" rel="nofollow - https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/06/health/china-pneumonia-intl-hnk/index.html

-------------
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 07 2020 at 1:32pm

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" rel="nofollow - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/07/china-mystery-illness-travellers-checked-as-officials-fear-lunar-new-year-could-spread-bug

-------------
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: carbon20
Date 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.🖖

Marcus Aurelius


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 08 2020 at 2:37am
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" rel="nofollow - https://www.livescience.com/china-mystery-pneumonia-is-not-sars.html

-------------
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 08 2020 at 2:53am
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/" rel="nofollow - https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/01/07/wuhan-china-mystery-illness-health-alert-issued-americans-area/2833558001/

-------------
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 08 2020 at 2:56am
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" rel="nofollow - http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/01/nations-step-screening-and-await-word-chinas-pneumonia-outbreak

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 08 2020 at 3:00am

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" rel="nofollow - https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-01-citizens-china-mystery-pneumonia-outbreak.html

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Albert
Date 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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https://www.facebook.com/Avianflutalk


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 08 2020 at 5:32am
My guess is the latter, Boss.

-------------
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 08 2020 at 3:55pm
the silence is deafening

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

Marcus Aurelius


Posted By: CRS, DrPH
Date 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!

-------------
CRS, DrPH


Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: January 09 2020 at 3:29am
https://www.rt.com/news/477777-chinese-pneumonia-coronavirus-sars/" rel="nofollow - 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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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
~Albert Einstein


Posted By: carbon20
Date 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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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖

Marcus Aurelius


Posted By: EdwinSm,
Date Posted: January 09 2020 at 5:25am
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51047576" rel="nofollow - 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,


Posted By: Albert
Date 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.


Posted By: CRS, DrPH
Date 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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CRS, DrPH


Posted By: Albert
Date 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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https://www.facebook.com/Avianflutalk


Posted By: Technophobe
Date 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" rel="nofollow - https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/01/mystery-virus-found-wuhan-resembles-bat-viruses-not-sars-chinese-scientist-says

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: EdwinSm,
Date Posted: January 10 2020 at 10:54pm
I think that this was written before the bat information

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51048366" rel="nofollow - 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.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date 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.
Advertisement

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" rel="nofollow - 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" rel="nofollow - 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" rel="nofollow - https://in.reuters.com/article/china-health-pneumonia/man-infected-with-mysterious-virus-in-china-dies-after-outbreak-idINKCN1ZA03X

-------------
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Albert
Date 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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https://www.facebook.com/Avianflutalk


Posted By: jacksdad
Date 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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"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep"
"Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary.


Posted By: CRS, DrPH
Date 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" rel="nofollow - 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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CRS, DrPH


Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 12 2020 at 4:00pm
If all info is accurate, this outbreak is officially over.   Not a bad drill, lol.



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https://www.facebook.com/Avianflutalk


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 13 2020 at 12:27am
[Probably]

China
January 12, 2020 / 6:06 PM / Updated 4 hours ago
China pneumonia outbreak not spreading at present - WHO

3 Min Read

LONDON/BEIJING (Reuters) - An outbreak of pneumonia that has killed one person in China and infected 40 others appears to be linked to a single seafood market in the central city of Wuhan and has not spread beyond there so far, the World Health Organisation said on Sunday.

The cluster of infections had raised fears of a potential epidemic after China said last week that the virus causing it was a previously unknown type but came from the same family of viruses that caused the SARS and MERS epidemics.

However, the WHO said the outbreak had not spread. The seafood market in Wuhan - a major domestic and international transport hub - is now closed and no cases have been reported elsewhere in China or internationally, it said.

“The evidence is highly suggestive that the outbreak is associated with exposures in one seafood market in Wuhan,” the WHO statement said, adding that the market was closed on Jan. 1. “At this stage, there is no infection among healthcare workers, and no clear evidence of human to human transmission.”

The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said in a separate statement late on Sunday that 4 additional patients have been released and that no new cases have been discovered as of Saturday.

Another 717 people deemed to be in close contact with the patients remain under medical observation, the authority said.

The WHO said last week that a newly emerging member of the ‘coronavirus’ family of viruses that caused the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreaks was the likely cause of the outbreak.

Coronaviruses can cause infections ranging from the common cold to SARS. Some types cause less serious disease, while others can be far more severe.

Among 41 people confirmed as infected with the new viral pneumonia, one - a 61-year-old man with serious underlying medical conditions - died last week. Seven others are in critical condition, the Wuhan health authorities said.

The WHO said preliminary epidemiological investigations had found most cases were in people who either worked at or were frequent visitors to Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market.

“To date, investigations are still under way to assess the full extent of the outbreak,” it added.


Source:    https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-china-virus/china-virus-outbreak-linked-to-seafood-market-not-currently-spreading-who-idUKKBN1ZB0LY" rel="nofollow - https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-china-virus/china-virus-outbreak-linked-to-seafood-market-not-currently-spreading-who-idUKKBN1ZB0LY

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 13 2020 at 11:30am
[Hmmm..... Not quite, it seems]

WHO: First Case of New Virus Behind China Outbreak Found in Thailand

By Agence France-Presse
January 13, 2020 10:20 AM

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The World Health Organization confirmed Monday the first case in Thailand of a new virus from the same family as SARS that is behind a Chinese pneumonia outbreak.

The U.N. health agency said a person traveling from Wuhan, China, had been hospitalized in Thailand on January 8 after being diagnosed with mild pneumonia.

"Laboratory testing subsequently confirmed that the novel coronavirus was the cause," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told AFP in an email, referring to the new virus.

WHO said it might soon host an emergency meeting on the spread of the new virus.

The case marks the first outside of China, where 41 people with pneumonia-like symptoms have so far been diagnosed with the new virus in the central city of Wuhan, with one of the victims dying last Thursday.

The episode has caused alarm due to the specter of SARS, or Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which in 2002-2003 killed 349 people in mainland China and another 299 in Hong Kong, whose economy was hit hard by the epidemic's devastating impact on tourism.

The WHO has confirmed that the outbreak in China has been caused by a previously unknown type of corona virus, a broad family ranging from the common cold to more serious illnesses like SARS.

The agency said Monday it had been informed by Thai health officials that the patient there was recovering from the illness.

It stressed that it was not surprising that the virus had spread beyond China.

"The possibility of cases being identified in other countries was not unexpected, and reinforces why WHO calls for on-going active monitoring and preparedness in other countries," it said in a statement.

It pointed out that it had issued guidance on how to detect and treat people who fall ill with the new virus, and stressed that China's decision to rapidly share the genetic sequencing of the virus made it possible to quickly diagnose patients.

WHO has not recommended any specific measures for travelers or restrictions on trade with China, but stressed Monday it was taking the situation seriously.

"Given developments, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will consult with Emergency Committee members and could call for a meeting of the committee on short notice," it said in a statement.


Source:    https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/who-first-case-new-virus-behind-china-outbreak-found-thailand" rel="nofollow - https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/who-first-case-new-virus-behind-china-outbreak-found-thailand

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How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 13 2020 at 2:26pm
Must be fake news.   China has clearly stated market closed down for two weeks with no new cases and absolutely no human transmission.   How can this be possible? lol

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https://www.facebook.com/Avianflutalk


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 13 2020 at 3:05pm


-------------
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.


Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 14 2020 at 12:57am
I suppose the planet will have to wait now,

until a real "Slate Wiper"

Rids the earth.......

Of the virus that is the human race......



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

Marcus Aurelius


Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 14 2020 at 5:10am



"Separately on Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said for the first time that there appeared to have been limited person-to-person transmission of the virus, according to Reuters news agency".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51108726" rel="nofollow - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51108726

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https://www.facebook.com/Avianflutalk


Posted By: EdwinSm,
Date Posted: January 14 2020 at 10:11am
You beat me to that BBC link about limited person to person transmission.


Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 14 2020 at 10:12am


-------------
https://www.facebook.com/Avianflutalk


Posted By: Technophobe
Date Posted: January 15 2020 at 2:08pm
Mystery virus from China which has put UK hospitals on alert

It comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued guidance on the case

ByNeil Shaw
Jasper King

14:34, 15 JAN 2020

The virus is currently affecting people in China

Hospitals across the UK have been warned to prepare for cases of a fatal and mystery virus that is currently affecting people in China.

HullLive reports that people across the country have been hospitalised because of the unknown virus which has killed one person and there are now fears that it could spread across the world.

It comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) told hospitals worldwide to prepare for cases outside of China.

So far there have been 41 cases in Wuhan City, in south east China, since December.

One case has now been detected in Thailand.

It was initially thought that the virus had been caught by contact with animals, but the WHO now believes it may be contagious between humans.

The WHO has given guidance to hospitals across the world on how to contain the virus if cases are detected.

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, acting head of WHO's emerging diseases unit, said: "This is something on our radar, it is possible, we need to prepare ourselves."

The first case was detected on December 31 last year.

The unknown virus causes cold-like symptoms including a runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat and a fever.
Symptoms of the virus include a runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat and a fever.

Possible cases have been detected in Hong Kong and Singapore.

WHO has ruled out the unknown virus being SARS, bird flu, MERS or adenovirus.

Source:    https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/mystery-virus-china-put-uk-3741877" rel="nofollow - https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/mystery-virus-china-put-uk-3741877

-------------
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.



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