Wuhan Coronavirus 101: What We Do — And Don't — Know About A Newly Identified Disease

January 24, 2020 - 4:00 AM ET

Updated Jan. 25, 2:34 p.m. ET

A new strain of virus that appears to have originated in China is spreading rapidly and crossing borders. There are more than 1300 confirmed cases worldwide and more than 40 reported deaths as of Jan. 25.

Here's what we know so far about this virus, as reported by NPR's daily science podcast Short Wave.

What kind of disease is this?

The outbreak is caused by a coronavirus. Common human coronaviruses cause mild to moderate upper respiratory symptoms, including the common cold, while more severe types can cause pneumonia and death. The name for this kind of virus comes from the crownlike spikes it has on its surface — "corona" is Latin for "crown."

This strain of the virus is called 2019-nCoV for now, which is short for "2019 novel coronavirus." It's only the third strain of coronavirus known to frequently cause severe symptoms in humans. The other two are MERS and SARS.

Where did it come from?

Coronaviruses originate in animals — like camels, civets and bats — and are usually not transmissible to humans. But occasionally a coronavirus mutates and can pass from animals to humans and then from human to human, as was the case with the SARS epidemic in the early 2000s. (SARS stands for "severe acute respiratory syndrome.") China's National Health Commission has confirmed that 15 health care workers have become infected, indicating that the virus can spread from human to human.

Most, but not all, of the first known cases in December 2019 were traced to an animal market in the Chinese city of Wuhan and are believed to have come from contact with live animals that were infected. The market has since been closed. Wuhan is a major logistics and transportation hub. It lies about 500 miles west of Shanghai and is home to more than 11 million people.

What are the symptoms?

The virus causes fever as well as respiratory symptoms: dry cough, difficulty breathing. It can also cause diarrhea and body aches. Symptoms in severe cases include pneumonia, kidney failure and even death, according to the World Health Organization.

Should someone with a fever be screened for Wuhan coronavirus?

The symptoms of this infection might appear the same as those for a cold or flu, but at this time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines for health care providers suggest screening only people who have recently traveled to Wuhan or who have had close prolonged contact with a 2019-nCoV-infected person. The CDC can confirm the virus with a diagnostic test that it developed based on the genetic sequence of the virus that Chinese health officials obtained and made publicly available on Jan. 12.

Who is at risk of becoming infected?

The World Health Organization's Emergency Committee on the coronavirus said in a Jan. 22 news conference that nearly three-quarters of cases have been in people over age 40 and that "cases who died — many had significant underlying conditions" like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. But there are confirmed cases in otherwise healthy, young individuals.

What treatments are recommended for this virus?

There are no virus-specific treatments for 2019-nCoV. The CDC suggests supportive care to manage and relieve symptoms. There is no approved vaccine available for this virus.

What are the affected countries and regions?

Within mainland China, nearly 1300 confirmed cases have been reported as of Jan. 25. Two U.S. cases have been reported to date. The first U.S. case was reported on Jan. 21: A Seattle-area man traveled to China and began experiencing symptoms a few days after he returned home to Washington state on Jan. 15. The second case, a woman in Chicago, was confirmed January 24.

Additional isolated cases have been identified in Australia, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

How does it spread?

Health officials believe the virus can be passed from person to person via exchange of fluids from the respiratory tract, but they still don't know precisely how. The respiratory route seems likely because clusters of cases have been observed within families, whose members have had prolonged close contact with an infected person. There is emerging evidence in Wuhan that the virus can spread from one person to another to another multiple times — the way that a disease like the flu spreads. That's something that global health officials are watching for in international cases.

How serious is this?

This virus is "highly infectious," according to China's Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control. But the agency does not consider the disease to be as virulent as the one that caused the SARS outbreak in 2003. The risk to the general American public is "low," according to the CDC: Most cases have been found in China, and so far international spread seems limited.

What is being done to contain the spread of the outbreak?

Government officials have temporarily shut down transportation to and from Wuhan by bus, subway, ferry, airplane and train, according to Chinese state media. At least 12 other Chinese cities have limited travel as well. The travel ban came just days before the biggest holiday on the Chinese calendar: Lunar New Year. Hundreds of millions of people travel every year during this holiday season, starting Jan. 25 and extending into February.

Airports around the world, including five in the U.S., have implemented screening procedures for passengers arriving from affected areas.

The CDC is recommending that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Wuhan. The agency encourages individuals traveling to areas of China outside of Wuhan to "practice usual precautions" at this time, which is its lowest level of caution.

Where can I get the latest information?

NPR will continue to report on the outbreak. The CDC is maintaining a traveler's health notice. The World Health Organization has a website for outbreak news. The China Center for Disease Control and Prevention has an epidemic tracker.

Emily Vaughn

URL: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/01/24/798661901/wuhan-coronavirus-101-what-we-do-and-dont-know-about-a-newly-identified-disease

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says opponents of Taiwan reunification ‘will stink for 10,000 years’

• Chinese foreign minister rails against Taiwan’s decision to re-elect Tsai Ing-wen as president, while state media claims ‘external dark forces’ had part in result
• Tsai says Taiwan wants partnership with its neighbours

Published: 14 Jan, 2020

Mainland China’s state media s “external dark forces” played a part in the election result in Taiwan. Photo: Kyodo

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Taiwan’s reunification with mainland China was inevitable and, in a rebuke against Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen’s landslide re-election, that separatists would “stink for 10,000 years”.

Tsai, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won about 57 per cent of the popular vote in the island’s presidential election on the weekend, riding a wave of wariness with Beijing’s intentions after Hong Kong’s months-long anti-government protests.

Her victory over the Kuomintang’s (KMT) mainland-friendly Han Kuo-yu has been seen as a message to Beijing and its growing efforts to isolate Taiwan on economic and diplomatic fronts.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says Tsai Ing-wen’s win will not change the inevitable course of Taiwan’s reunification with the mainland. Photo: EPA-EFE

Wang, in Zimbabwe as part of his African tour, said on Monday that Tsai’s win would not change what he called the inevitable course of Taiwan’s reunification with the mainland.

“[The one-China principle] will not change in any way because of a local election on the Taiwan island, nor will it shake despite erroneous words and actions by some Western politicians,” he said.

Beijing regards self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory that must eventually be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Wang protested as senior officials from the US, Britain and Japan congratulated Tsai on her victory, urging the international community to stick to one-China and refrain from official communications with the Taiwanese leadership.

“The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the reunification across the [Taiwan] strait is inevitable,” he said.

“Going against the trend is bound to reach a dead end. Anyone separating the nation will stink for 10,000 years.”

In her victory speech on Saturday, Tsai said Beijing must abandon threats of force against Taiwan. The island would not give in to intimidation, she said.

Hinting that she would not seek to provoke mainland China in the next four years, Tsai said Taiwan wanted to become “partners” with its neighbours, not be an “issue” for them.

She met the de facto ambassadors from the US and Japan in Taipei on Sunday.

Mainland Chinese state media played down Tsai’s win and blamed the KMT’s defeat on “dirty tactics” by her party.

Mainland state news agency Xinhua said the poll was not a “normal election” and that “external dark forces” were partly responsible for the result.

Analysts said Taipei might face greater pressure from Beijing after the election, complicating China’s tense relationship with the United States.

But the relationships between Beijing, Washington and Taipei would also depend on the outcome of the US presidential election in November and progress in China-US trade talks, they said.

Catherine Wong

URL: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3045974/chinese-foreign-minister-wang-yi-says-opponents-taiwan