Its a new strain of corona virus in the china pneumonia

Its a new strain of corona virus in the china pneumonia

Dr KK Aggarwal
President CMAAO, HCFI and Past national President CMAAO


Preliminary tests indicated that the cause of the mystery pneumonia that has infected almost 60 people in the Chinese city of Wuhan since December is caused by a new strain coronavirus ( of the same family as SARS).


The scientists have found the "new type" of coronavirus by testing infected blood samples and throat swabs collected from 15 people.

The coronavirus can cause anything from the common cold to much more severe diseases. Notably, it caused an epidemic of the potentially deadly, flu-like Sars virus back in 2002-3, which killed more than 700 people around the world after originating in China.

WHO representative to China, said "further investigations" were required to "determine the source, modes of transmission, extent of infection and countermeasures implemented".

Singapore's airport says it will begin temperature screening travellers from Wuhan and Hong Kong health officials say they are also implementing checks on passengers. Authorities in Hong Kong have also stepped up the disinfection of trains and aeroplanes.

No cases of human-to-human transmission had been confirmed as yet.

About Corona Virus

1. Coronaviruses are the cause of 5 to 10 percent of community-acquired upper respiratory tract infections in adults

2. Coronaviruses are medium-sized enveloped positive-stranded RNA viruses whose name derives from their characteristic crown-like appearance in electron micrographs

3. In temperate climates, coronavirus respiratory infections occur primarily in the winter, although smaller peaks are sometimes seen in the fall or spring, and infections can occur at any time of the year.

4. Most community-acquired coronavirus infections are diagnosed clinically, although reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction applied to respiratory secretions is the diagnostic test of choice.

5. There is currently no treatment recommended for coronavirus infections except for supportive care as needed.

6. Chloroquine which has potent antiviral activity against the SARS-CoV  has been shown to have similar activity against HCoV-229E in cultured cells and against HCoV-OC43 both in cultured cells and in a mouse model.

7. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus are also described.

CMAAO warns Asian citizens travelling China over mystery pneumonia outbreak

CMAAO warns Asian citizens travelling China over mystery pneumonia outbreak

Dr KK Aggarwal

President CMAAO, HCFI and Past National President IMA

 8^th Jan: Asians travelling in China should avoid animals and contact with sick people as the country grapples with a mystery pneumonia outbreak, the CMMAO, confederation of Medical Associations of Asia and Oceania warned.

The viral illness was first reported last week in Wuhan, a central Chinese city with a population of over 11 million, and has since grown to at least 59 cases, said Dr KLK Aggarwal President CMAAO.

Though the Chinese health officials have ruled out a resurgence of the highly contagious SARS virus, which killed hundreds more than a decade ago, one should be  aware and practice usual precautions and seek medical care "right away" if they felt sick after travelling to Wuhan.

The outbreak of pneumonia comes just a few weeks before China's busiest travel season of the year, when millions of people take buses, trains and planes for Lunar New Year.

On Monday, Taiwan's centre for disease control also advised residents planning to travel to or near Wuhan to wear masks and avoid contact with wild animals.

In Hong Kong, authorities say 30 people have been hospitalised after returning from Wuhan in recent days and displaying flu-like illnesses, but none were confirmed to have contracted the mystery new strain.

All are being treated in quarantine and no obvious evidence of human-to-human transmission has been found so far, it said Sunday.

WHO to monitor China's mysterious pneumonia of unknown virus outbreak

WHO to monitor China's mysterious pneumonia of unknown virus outbreak

Dr KK Aggarwal

President CMAAO, HCFI and Past National President IMA

A mysterious lung infection in the central Chinese city of Wuhan is being monitored by the WHO. 59 people had been diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown cause. Seven people are in serious condition. Some of the infected worked at a fresh seafood and produce market in the city.

Pathogen studies have ruled out more common respiratory diseases, including influenza, avian flu and adenovirus. All the patients are being treated under quarantine.  Wuhan authorities said on Sunday they had excluded the possibility of SARS, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and bird flu.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), symptoms of the pneumonia are mainly fever, with a number of patients having difficulty breathing, and chest radiographs showing invasive lesions of both lungs.

The seafood market, which has since been closed, also sold live birds, pheasants, and snakes, along with organs of rabbits and other wildlife.

Authorities have said that there has been no obvious evidence of human-to-human transmission so far, and no health care workers have been infected. At least 163 people who have had close contact with those infected have been placed under medical observation.

If it only transmits from animals to humans, now that the market has been shut down and sanitized, the chances for people to be infected will be low. However the possibility of human-to-human transmission cannot be ruled out as respiratory viruses can be transmitted among humans. It is only a matter of how contagious it is.

Hong Kong steps up response:  It is reminding us of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, which killed almost 800 people about 17 years ago.  It's not known whether a SARS-like "coronavirus" has been identified. SARS spread to 37 countries worldwide, infected more than 8,000 people and killed 774 from November 2002 to July 2003. The illness is brought on by a coronavirus, and symptoms include fever, cough, severe headache, dizziness and other flu-like complaints.