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A little over 120 hours ago the news of an outbreak of unidentified pneumonia in China's Wuhan City began to circulate, and since then we've seen rampant online speculation as to its possible cause and a flurry of preventative activity on the part of health departments of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.
A few recent blogs include:
A few recent blogs include:
Hong Kong Public Hospital Daily Update on Wuhan-related Cases - Jan 4th
Hong Kong Activates New Infectious Disease Preparedness & Contingency Plan (`Serious' Level)
HK CHP Expands Criteria For Investigating Suspected Pneumonia Cases From Wuhan
A little over 24 hours ago, the Western Pacific Regional Office of the World Health Organization tweeted that they were actively monitoring the situation in China and were in touch with their counterparts on the mainland.
This morning, we have the first formal statement by the WHO on this developing situation. Unfortunately, the details provided by China to the WHO at this time add very little to what has already been reported.
Pneumonia of unknown cause – China
Disease outbreak news
5 January 2020
On 31 December 2019, the WHO China Country Office was informed of cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology (unknown cause) detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. As of 3 January 2020, a total of 44 patients with pneumonia of unknown etiology have been reported to WHO by the national authorities in China. Of the 44 cases reported, 11 are severely ill, while the remaining 33 patients are in stable condition. According to media reports, the concerned market in Wuhan was closed on 1 January 2020 for environmental sanitation and disinfection.
The causal agent has not yet been identified or confirmed. On 1 January 2020, WHO requested further information from national authorities to assess the risk.
National authorities report that all patients are isolated and receiving treatment in Wuhan medical institutions. The clinical signs and symptoms are mainly fever, with a few patients having difficulty in breathing, and chest radiographs showing invasive lesions of both lungs.
According to the authorities, some patients were operating dealers or vendors in the Huanan Seafood market. Based on the preliminary information from the Chinese investigation team, no evidence of significant human-to-human transmission and no health care worker infections have been reported.
Public Health Response
National authorities have reported the following response measures:
- One hundred and twenty-one close contacts have been identified and are under medical observation;
- The follow-up of close contacts is ongoing;
- Pathogen identification and the tracing of the cause are underway;
- Wuhan Municipal Health Commission carried out active case finding, and retrospective investigations have been completed;
WHO is closely monitoring the situation and is in close contact with national authorities in China.
- Environmental sanitation and further hygiene investigations are under way.
WHO risk assessment
There is limited information to determine the overall risk of this reported cluster of pneumonia of unknown etiology. The reported link to a wholesale fish and live animal market could indicate an exposure link to animals. The symptoms reported among the patients are common to several respiratory diseases, and pneumonia is common in the winter season; however, the occurrence of 44 cases of pneumonia requiring hospitalization clustered in space and time should be handled prudently.
Wuhan city, with a population of 19 million, is the capital city of Hubei province, with a population of 58 million people. WHO has requested further information on the laboratory tests performed and the differential diagnoses considered.
WHO advice
Based on information provided by national authorities, WHO’s recommendations on public health measures and surveillance of influenza and severe acute respiratory infections still apply.
WHO does not recommend any specific measures for travellers. In case of symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness either during or after travel, travellers are encouraged to seek medical attention and share travel history with their healthcare provider.
WHO advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China based on the current information available on this event.
For more information:
