What is Chinese coronavirus? CDC is screening passengers at two California airports
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is screening passengers at three US airports traveling to and from Wuhan, China after a new virus from the country has infected more than 40 people and led to two deaths.
The CDC will begin screening at John F. Kennedy International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Los Angeles International airport starting Saturday, according to CNBC.
Martin Cetron, the director for the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine at the CDC, said that the screening will “include as many as 5,000 people” at the airports, CNBC reported. “Investigations into this novel coronavirus are ongoing and we are monitoring and responding to this evolving situation,” he said in a statement.
What is the virus?
The virus was first detected on December 12 and scientists identified China’s coronavirus after it affected dozens of people in Wuhan, comparing the virus to the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), according to CNN.
The SARS pandemic killed more than 800 people between 2002 and 2013, according to the World Health Organization.
The Chinese coronavirus was found in 15 of 57 patients with the “pneumonia-like” illness, according to CNN.
Symptoms for the virus are not as severe as other coronaviruses and are “primarily fever, with some people experiencing difficulty breathing,” CNN reported.
How deadly is it?
Experts say that the virus appears to be less deadly than SARS, but that they think that the source is from a mammal because these viruses spread easily from animals to humans, according to the New York Times.
Two people have died so far. On Jan. 15, a 69-year-old man died after going to the hospital with “abnormal renal function and severe damage to multiple organs,” according to the Guardian.
The first person to die from the virus was a 61-year-old man with severe pneumonia and shortness of breath, NBC reported. He died on Jan. 9.
Is it spreading?
The virus has already spread to Japan and Thailand, but there are no known US cases, according to the Washington Post.
The World Health Organization said more cases in other countries are “likely” due to “global travel patterns,” according to a press release.
“This is a serious situation,” Nancy Messonnier from CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases told The Washington Post. “As we do more testing, we’re likely to see more cases, and I think we’ll see at least a case in the United States.”
Should you stop traveling to China?
As of now, no.
Nick Phin of Public Health England told the Financial Times: “The risk to travelers to Wuhan from this disease is low and we are not advising them to change their plans. In order to minimize the risk of transmission, people traveling to the area should maintain good hand and personal hygiene.”
The WHO said that it “advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China based on the information currently available on this event,” according to the Financial Times.
This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 5:24 PM with the headline "What is Chinese coronavirus? CDC is screening passengers at two California airports ."