WHO and the Ministry of Health issued advice for international travel and trade concerning the outbreak of pneumonia caused by a new coronavirus in China
On 31 December 2019, a cluster of pneumonia of unknown etiology was reported in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. On 9 January, Chinese authorities said in the media that the cause of this viral pneumonia was initially identified as a new type of coronavirus. According to them, this virus is different from any other human coronaviruses discovered so far. Coronaviruses are a large family of respiratory infections that can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to the Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The clinical signs and symptoms of the patients reported in this cluster are mainly fever, with a few patients having difficulty in breathing and chest radiographs showing bilateral lung infiltrates.
From the currently available information, preliminary investigation suggests that there is no significant human-to-human transmission.
While the cause of pneumonia seems to be a novel coronavirus, transmission potential and modes of transmission remain unclear. Therefore, it would be prudent to reduce the general risk of acute respiratory infections while traveling in or from affected areas (currently Wuhan City) by avoiding close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections, frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their
environment, avoiding close contact with live or dead farm or wild animals, travelers with symptoms of acute respiratory infection should practice cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands).