An infectious respiratory virus found in China is spreading and raising alarm bells across the world. More than 4,500 cases of the novel coronavirus have been identified in China, as well as five cases in the U.S.
The illness, which was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China, has been compared to two other human coronaviruses, MERS and SARS. Symptoms of the disease include a runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat, fever and a general feeling of being unwell, according to the CDC. And the agency is relying on past outbreaks of SARS and MERS to contain the spread of the virus, which has already claimed 100 lives.
While the death rate of the so-far identified cases is high, according to HHS, the cases so far are likely to be “skewed to the extreme.”
“Americans should know that this is a potentially very serious public health threat, but, at this point, Americans should not worry for their own safety,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said during a press conference Tuesday. “This is a very fast moving, constantly changing situation.”
The infection has led to airport screenings at 20 airports in the U.S., government agencies announced Tuesday. The disease is known to spread even when patients aren’t showing symptoms, but there is still a lot of mystery surrounding the new coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health are also focused on a three-prong approach to the coronavirus: diagnostics, therapies and vaccines. The agency is working to improve its diagnostic test, while also looking for a therapy to treat the virus. As of now, there is no proven therapy to treat coronavirus. The agencies also anticipate bringing a vaccine to a phase one clinical trial in about three months. It will be several months from there before a vaccine could be deployed, at which time the outbreak may be contained or worse.
In the meantime, the U.S. State Department has issued travel warnings for Americans traveling to China and warning healthcare providers to be on the lookout for symptoms among recent travelers.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."