Pneumonia outbreak in China may be linked to new type of virus

The pneumonia outbreak was first detected last December and the Chinese authorities reported 59 cases on Sunday. (Pixabay photo)

World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday that the outbreak with more than 50 cases in Wuhan City, China may be due to a newly discovered member of the family of deadly viruses that caused the Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreaks.

Although the United Nations health agency said it needed more comprehensive information to affirm the type of pathogen that is causing the outbreaks, the Chinese state television said on a report that a new coronavirus is a possibility, citing pathogen results from a preliminary assessment expert group.

“As of January 7, 2020, the laboratory detected a new type of coronavirus,” China Central Television (CCTV) said, adding.

“The new coronavirus that caused this epidemic situation is different from previously discovered human coronaviruses, and further understanding of the virus requires more scientific research.”

However, the Chine media did not identify a laboratory or expert group in its report.

The newly discovered virus has sparked fear and online netizens speculated that it might be a comeback of the deadly virus SARS, but reports stated that the Chinese authorities have ruled out SARS and MERS as possible causes of the flu, as well as other types of infection such as bird flu, adenovirus, and other types of common respiratory pathogens.

“The initial information about the cases of pneumonia in Wuhan … pointed to a coronavirus as a possible pathogen causing this cluster,” the WHO said in a statement.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause infections ranging from the common cold to SARS. While some are less severe, other types of the coronavirus such as the MERS may be more deadly.

The pneumonia outbreak was first detected last December and the Chinese authorities have reported 59 cases on Sunday.

According to Chinese authorities, the virus can cause severe illness to some patients but no human to human transmission has been found while observing the Wuhan cases.

“More comprehensive information is required to confirm the pathogen, as well as to better understand the epidemiology of the outbreak, the clinical picture, the investigations to determine the source, modes of transmission, extent of infection, and the countermeasures implemented,” the WHO said.