Wuhan Coronavirus Updates

The News-Gazette reported that the University of Illinois will be screening students for a respiratory virus that has recently been detected in the United States after an outbreak in China. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers the risk low at this time, but since this is a novel virus, they're taking precautions. From the CDC:

Outbreaks of novel virus infections among people are always of public health concern. The risk from these outbreaks depends on characteristics of the virus, including whether and how well it spreads between people, the severity of resulting illness, and the medical or other measures available to control the impact of the virus (for example, vaccine or treatment medications).

There is much more to learn about how the 2019-nCoV virus spreads, severity of associated illness, and other features of the virus. Investigations are ongoing. While CDC considers this is a serious public health concern, based on current information, the immediate health risk from 2019-nCoV to the general American public is considered low at this time. Nevertheless, CDC is taking proactive preparedness precautions.

More information at their website here. CNN had a helpful overview here as well. The News-Gazette article is available here. Excerpt:

Students with respiratory illnesses will be screened regardless of whether they’ve been to an area with a confirmed case of the virus, which has infected more than 400 people in six countries, including a case confirmed Tuesday in Washington state.

So far, nine people in China have died from the virus, which can be spread through coughing and sneezing, the UI said.

Despite considering the risk to the American public to be low, on Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began screening for the disease at three airports that receive most of the travelers from the province in China where the disease started — San Francisco International Airport, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.

That full article here. WAND had coverage of the first case being reported in the United States yesterday:

The U.S. patient is a male in his 30s and in good health the CDC said. He arrived in the U.S. around Jan. 15 after visiting Wuhan. Airport screenings for those traveling from Wuhan did not begin until Jan. 17.

The patient is from the U.S. He said he did not have any symptoms when he returned, but immediately reached out to a health care provider when he started to develop symptoms.

NBC reports the strain could be passed in so-called super-spreaders or highly infectious patients. Those people could sicken dozens all at once...

Currently major airports have been screening passengers who are arriving from Wuhan, to prevent the spread of the virus. The CDC added Chicago O'Hare and Atlanta to the list on Tuesday. 

Full article here. WCCU had additional coverage including reaction from the C-U Public Health District and University working together on the issue:

[Deputy Administrator of the C-U Public Health District, Awais] Vaid said the District and University are close in contact.

"Before waiting for any of this to happen they're being very pro-active," Vaid said. "They ask the question for anyone that comes into the McKinley Health Center if they have any travel history or if they have any symptoms on mimicking coronavirus,."

Vaid said it's still too early to tell what could happen in the C-U area.

"The situation is very current as of what we know right now but things will change in the next 24 to 48 hours," Vaid said.

That full article here. I suppose we can only keep an eye out for any changes in the news and hope that the risk remains low.