According to a statement by the World Health Organisation on Jan. 9, Chinese authorities have made a preliminary determination of a new coronavirus that’s causing the outbreak of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China.

Linked to SARS

Initial information about these cases provided by Chinese authorities pointed towards a coronavirus as a possible cause of the cases.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, which are responsible for more minor illnesses such as the common cold, but they can also cause more severe illnesses such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Laboratory tests have ruled out SARS, MERS, influenza, avian influenza, adenovirus and other common respiratory pathogens as causes of the Wuhan outbreak.

The Wuhan pneumonia can cause severe illness in some patients, but it does not transmit readily from one person to the other.

A biologist at the University of Edinburgh calculated that the virus causing Wuhan pneumonia has an 89 per cent similarity to a SARS-related virus.

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First death case from Wuhan pneumonia outbreak

China has reported its first death from the virus on Jan. 9, when a 61-year-old man died from the Wuhan pneumonia virus.

Treatments did not improve his symptoms, and he died when his heart failed.

The man who died was a frequent visitor to a seafood market, where other cases of infection have been traced.

He had been previously diagnosed with abdominal tumours and chronic liver disease.

Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said that 41 people have been infected and that there are no new cases detected since Jan. 3.

The WHO continues to monitor the situation closely.

Further investigations are required to identify the source, modes of transmission, the extent of infection and countermeasures implemented.

The WHO also notes that the preliminary identification of a new virus involved in this outbreak within a short period of time is a “notable achievement”, and shows China’s increased capacity to manage new outbreaks.

Top image via Pixabay