A new coronavirus could be responsible for a cluster of more than 50 pneumonia cases in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Jan. 8, Reuters reported.
However, WHO said it needed more comprehensive information to confirm precisely the type of pathogen causing the infections.
At the moment, a good guess is that a newly emerging member of the family of viruses that caused the deadly SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) outbreaks could be responsible.
WHO said the Chinese authorities have conducted laboratory tests and eliminated the SARS coronavirus and the MERS one as possible causes, as well as flu, bird flu, adenovirus and other common respiratory pathogens.
Owing to this process of elimination, WHO said "therefore, a novel coronavirus could not be ruled out".
The pneumonia outbreak started in December 2019, and 59 cases had been reported by Chinese authorities by the first week of Janauary.
Current virus possibly less contagious
Chinese authorities have so far said the virus behind the Wuhan cases can cause severe illness in some patients and does not appear to pass easily from person to person.
"More comprehensive information is required to confirm the pathogen, as well as to better understand the epidemiology of the outbreak, the clinical picture, the investigations to determine the source, modes of transmission, extent of infection, and the countermeasures implemented," the WHO said.
Different types of viruses
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 severe disease.
Others like the one that causes MERS are far more severe.
"The initial information about the cases of pneumonia in Wuhan... pointed to a coronavirus as a possible pathogen causing this cluster," the the United Nations health agency said in a statement.
Periodic emergence
Coronaviruses emerge periodically, the WHO noted.
In 2002, this led to SARS, and in 2012 MERS resulted.
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 in 2003.
More than 8,000 people were infected and 775 died.