The mysterious lung disease that emerged last month in the east Chinese metropolis of Wuhan appears to be caused by a variant of the corona virus, Chinese researchers report. It is therefore related to the SARS virus and the MERS virus.
The virus has been diagnosed in fifteen people so far, but 59 people have fallen ill and seven of them are in poor condition. Patients have symptoms that are similar to those of a lung infection. As far as is known, nobody died of the disease.
According to the World Health Organization WHO, more research is needed to determine exactly which pathogen is involved.
Market with live animals
According to Chinese researchers, it does not seem that the virus is simply transmitted from person to person. One of the indications for this is that family members of patients and hospital staff have not become ill.
There are still many questions. For example, nothing is known about the incubation period and whether the virus can be transmitted from animals to humans. Nor was anything disclosed about the age of the patients and their health status before they became ill.
The first infections are associated with a market in Wuhan where live fish, birds and other animals were sold. Related viruses such as SARS and MERS can be transmitted from animal to human.
Coronaviruses cause diseases in both humans and animals. This ranges from an innocent cold to fatal illnesses, including the SARS and MERS viruses. More than 700 people died in the outbreak of the SARS virus in China at the beginning of this century. The MERS virus was discovered in 2012, at least 640 patients died.
Other countries
Surrounding countries are extra alert due to the outbreak. In Hong Kong, eight people who had recently traveled to Wuhan with fever and respiratory complaints were hospitalized. South Korea has placed a Chinese woman with symptoms of the disease in isolation. She too had visited Wuhan.
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