Last week, we told you about the outbreak of a mysterious virus in China that is similar in symptoms to acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), better known as SARS. At the moment, researchers have determined that the new virus is a type of coronavirus, to which SARS and MERS also belong. WHO specialists were very concerned about the new outbreak in Wuhan and as it turned out for good reason - experts reported two cases outside the country - in Thailand and Japan. How exactly the virus spreads remains unknown.
According to ScienceAlert, the Japanese Ministry of Health said the patient was admitted to hospital on January 10, four days after returning from Wuhan, China to Japan. The patient complained of a persistent fever. The test results confirmed that he was infected with the new virus. Recall that the new coronavirus claimed the life of one person, and 41 people were infected in Wuhan. The Japanese Ministry of Health intends to cooperate with the World Health Organization, as well as to continue research.
In the past, outbreaks of SARS and MERS have killed 349 people in China and 299 people in Hong Kong. Wuhan officials said today that the focus of the outbreak is a seafood market that was closed on January 1. However, Japanese doctors assure that the patient did not visit the market, but may have been in contact with the infected while he was in the Middle Kingdom.
Will the virus spread across the planet?
Health Ministry spokesman Eiji Hinoshita told reporters that the risk of spreading the disease is considered low, with everyone who has been in close contact with him being carefully screened. Moreover, the patient's condition is not critical and he is recovering at home. Local media reported that the patient is a 30-year-old Chinese national who lives in Kanagawa, southwest of Tokyo.
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The Japanese Ministry of Health is urging people who are experiencing symptoms such as coughs and fever to wear protective masks and "quickly visit a medical facility." It is not yet clear if this virus can be transmitted from person to person, but it is possible that the virus has already spread in the family. As for the case in Thailand, the patient is in stable condition. She also claims that she did not visit the Wuhan seafood market. Nevertheless, WHO experts believe that the virus can be limitedly transmitted from person to person, especially among families who are in close contact with each other.
Thus, you and I should not fear the outbreak of a new virus. However, if you are going on a trip to China soon, then it would be wise to refuse to visit Wuhan. Otherwise, it is hoped that in the very near future, scientists will be able to develop a vaccine against the dangerous family of coronaviruses.
Lyubov Sokovikova
