An outbreak of a new coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China has spread to more Chinese cities, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea. There are currently 222 cases confirmed worldwide, although a report by Imperial College London suggests there could be more than 1,700 infections. Chinese authorities are attempting to contain the virus. Meanwhile, international authorities are stepping up the screening of people from Wuhan, especially with an expected increase of travelers in the coming weeks for celebrating the Chinese New Year.
The virus originated in an animal thus far unknown and has spread to humans, although there have been no confirmed cases of human to human transmission of the virus. Symptoms include fever and difficulty breathing, which are similar to other respiratory diseases. The outbreak of the virus has caused some concern, as it belongs to the same family of SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which killed nearly 800 people globally in an outbreak that began in China. During the time of the SARS outbreak, authorities withheld information for weeks before a growing death toll forced them to reveal the epidemic. This grave health issue poses serious health risks for individuals on a global level, and the approaches adopted by both the Chinese and international authorities have the potential to exacerbate or mitigate these risks.
