2 More Suspected Cases Of Wuhan Virus In Singapore Increases Total Cases To 5
Limited person-to-person spread of the virus may be occurring.
By Liew Ashley — 19 Jan 2020, 05:53 PM
Two more people who are suspected to have the mysterious Wuhan virus have been warded and isolated in Singapore on Friday, 17 January
According to Today, a 64-year-old man from China and a 61-year-old female Singapore resident were admitted to a hospital for further assessment and treatment after arriving in Singapore from Wuhan.
As such, the tally of similar cases in the nation has increased to five.
Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) has said that the two people did not visit the the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market
According to Straits Times, the mysterious virus is said to have originated from the seafood wholesale market in Wuhan.
Nevertheless, MOH has assured that both the man and woman are in stable condition.
In the report, the ministry also said that investigations are being carried out to determine whether their illnesses are linked to the Wuhan disease cluster.
Previous cases of the virus included a three-year-old girl and a 26-year-old man, both of whom are Chinese nationals
While both of them had a travel history to Wuhan, Straits Times reported that they eventually tested negative for the virus.
The third case in Singapore, reported by Today on Thursday, 16 January, is a 69-year-old Singaporean man who travelled to Wuhan.
However, the man did not visit the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market and subsequent laboratory test results also revealed that his case was not linked to the pneumonia cluster in Wuhan.
Temperature screening being carried out at Changi Airport for travellers arriving from Wuhan.
Image via Khaw Boon Wan/FacebookWhile previously unidentified, the Wuhan virus has now been revealed as a new coronavirus
According to Taiwan News, a preliminary investigation has now identified the respiratory disease as a new type of coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV, that circulate among animals.
Today reported that in rare occasions, animal coronaviruses can evolve and infect people, and then spread from human to human in a similar way as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
In the report, WHO explained that while most of the patients in Wuhan had some connection to the Huanan market, some patients did not go there, indicating that limited person-to-person spread may be occurring.
A medical staff member walks outside the Jinyintan hospital, where patients infected with the coronavirus are being treated.
Image via RNZLast week, it was reported that a woman from Wuhan was quarantined in a hospital in Thailand after being infected with the coronavirus, making her the first case outside China:
