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The big news of the morning comes from the UK where the HPA has announced that a family contract of the man who recently returned from the Middle East with the novel coronavirus has contracted the virus.
While there has been some evidence to suggest limited human-to-human transmission of this novel virus in the past, this is the first well-documented case of apparent secondary transmission of the virus.
Overall, however, given the number of patients and number of people exposed to them, this virus does not yet show signs of being easily transmissible.
Further UK case of novel coronavirus
13 February 2013
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) can confirm a further case of novel coronavirus infection in a family member of the case announced on Monday 11 February. The patient, who is a UK resident, does not have any recent travel history and is currently receiving intensive care treatment at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. It is understood that this patient has an existing medical condition that may make them more susceptible to respiratory infections. This latest case brings the total number of confirmed cases globally to 11, of which three have been diagnosed in the UK.
Professor John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases department at the HPA, said: "Confirmed novel coronavirus infection in a person without travel history to the Middle East suggests that person-to-person transmission has occurred, and that it occurred in the UK. This case is a family member who was in close personal contact with the earlier case and who may have been at greater risk of acquiring an infection because of their underlying health condition.
“To date, evidence of person-to-person transmission has been limited. Although this case provides strong evidence for person to person transmission, the risk of infection in most circumstances is still considered to be very low. If novel coronavirus were more infectious, we would have expected to have seen a larger number of cases than we have seen since the first case was reported three months ago. However, this new development does justify, the measures that were immediately put into place to prevent any further spread of infection and to identify and follow up contacts of known cases.
“We will continue to provide advice and support to healthcare workers looking after the patients and to contacts of both cases.
"In light of this latest case we would like to emphasise that the risk associated with novel coronavirus to the general UK population remains very low. The HPA will continue to work closely with national and international health authorities and will share any further advice with health professionals and the public if and when more information becomes available."
