Public healthQuestions Swirl over China's Unexplained Pneumonia Outbreak
Investigations are still under way to identify the pathogen involved in an unexplained pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China, as local health officials announced Sunday fifteen more cases and said tests have ruled out severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
Investigations are still under way to identify the pathogen involved in an unexplained pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China, as local health officials announced Sunday fifteen more cases and said tests have ruled out severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
In other developments, the World Health Organization (WHO) weighed in on the outbreak with a few more details and a risk assessment based on limited preliminary information, and U.S. officials posted a travel watch.
Meanwhile, administrative regions and other countries in Asia continue to flag sick travelers coming from Wuhan, a city of 19 million inhabitants, but so far none appear to be linked to Wuhan’s pneumonia cluster, which is centered around a seafood market that also sold birds, other animals, and organs from wildlife.
Wuhan Cluster Grows to 59
Wuhan health officials said 7 of the 59 patients are critically ill, a decline from 11 reported Jan 3, and they added that illness onsets range from 12-29 December, according to a statement translated and posted by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board. The patients are being treated in isolation, and no deaths have been reported.
So far 163 contacts are under monitoring, an increase of 42. No clear evidence of human-to-human transmission has been found and no illnesses have been reported in healthcare workers. The epidemiologic investigation shows that some patients were vendors at the South China Seafood Wholesale Market.
Earlier in the investigation, Wuhan officials said tests had already ruled out respiratory pathogens including influenza, avian influenza, and adenovirus.
WHO Offers Risk Assessment
In a statement yesterday, the WHO said China notified it about the outbreak on 31 December and added that WHO officials are seeking more information to help with their risk assessment. The main clinical signs are fever and pneumonia, with some patients experiencing breathing problems. Chest radiographs show invasive lesions of both lungs.
Chinese authorities told the WHO that some patients were dealers or vendors at the seafood market and that the preliminary investigation by Chinese investigators has found no evidence of significant human-to-human transmission and no sign that sick patients have passed the infection to medical workers.
