A new virus that presents with SARS-like symptoms has been discovered in China and already spread to at least two people in the United States, according to the CDC.
The coronavirus strain, which originated in Wuhan, China, has killed 26 people and infected nearly 900 in China. Two people in the U.S.––one in Illinois and one in Washington––have also been diagnosed with the virus, which causes fever and respiratory infections.
The outbreak, as well as the mystery surrounding how dangerous the disease is and how it spreads to others, has led to a serious crackdown of screenings at airports in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago.
Two recent studies published in The Lancet revealed the symptoms of coronavirus are similar to SARS and can be spread from person to person. However, because the outbreak is new and the findings only involved small number of diagnosed people, more research is necessary and vigorous searchers for the “animal hosts and transmission routes” are needed.
The first 41 cases of the coronavirus are similar to SARS, and many were connected to the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, China––a market where game animals were sold. The strain is also closely related to coronaviruses from Chinese horseshoe bats, according to another finding, and there are currently no antiviral drugs to specifically treat coronavirus.
China and other countries are using lessons from past SARS outbreaks to contain the spread of coronavirus. All patients admitted to the hospital with coronavirus had pneumonia, while most had a fever, cough and fatigue. More than half of patients also presented with shortness of breath, and a lower percentage had headaches or diarrhea.
“Despite sharing some similar symptoms to SARS (eg, fever, dry cough, shortness of breath), there are some important differences, such as the absence of upper respiratory tract symptoms (e.g., rhinorrhoea [runny nose], sneezing, sore throat) and intestinal symptoms, such as [diarrhea] which affected 20[%]-25% of SARS patients,” said lead author Professor Bin Cao from the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and Capital Medical University, China.
The second study in The Lancet looked at a first-of-its-kind genetic analysis of a family of seven that presented with “unexplained” pneumonia at the hospital. Five of the family members reported recently visiting Wuhan and were diagnosed with coronavirus. One child who wore a surgical mask during their stay in Wuhan did not get infected. Another child was infected but didn’t show any symptoms. That means the virus can be spread without people knowing they have it.
“Our findings are consistent with person-to person transmission of this new coronavirus in hospital and family settings, and the reports of infected travellers in other countries,” Professor Kwok-Yung Yuen from the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital who led the research, said in a statement. “Because asymptomatic infection appears possible, controlling the epidemic will also rely on isolating patients, tracing and quarantining contacts as early as possible, educating the public on both food and personal hygiene, and ensuring healthcare workers comply with infection control.”
“Learning the lessons from SARS, which started as animal-to-human transmission, all game meat trading should be better regulated to terminate this potential transmission route,” said co-author Dr Rosana Wing-Shan Poon from the University of Hong Kong. “Further investigations are needed to clarify the potential threat posed by this emerging virus and asymptomatic cases.”
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."