China reported 139 new cases of the mysterious SARS-like lung disease first identified in the city of Wuhan in December, with two suspected cases reported in capital Beijing and another in the tech hub city of Shenzhen. Three people have died so far because of the infectious virus experts have classed as a strain of coronavirus, causing US authorities to launch screenings on passengers arriving from the region. Infectious disease expert Professor Jimmy Whitworth warned the British Government should also prepare to screen passengers because of the coronavirus “inevitably” spreading worldwide due to intense travel habits.
He continued: “I think with this jump in numbers, it is clear there is a person-to-person transmission. There’s no way that all these people could have been exposed to infected animals in one market.
“That’s a big worry. It doesn’t seem to be as transmissible as perhaps some of the other coronaviruses, particularly SARS, but even so, it’s clear from the numbers we’re seeing there is a person-to-person transmission.”
The epidemiology professor added: “Of these 200 cases, we know three have died and there’s nine who are seriously ill with it.
“We are talking about a mortality rate of certainly less than 10 percent at the moment but even so it makes it a pretty serious form of pneumonia.”
READ MORE: Second person dies from virus as China struggles to contain outbreak
Wuhan International Airport serves a population of 19 million people, but only 3,400 a day travel internationally.
WHO has provided guidance for hospitals around the world about virus prevention and control in case the virus eventually spreads.
Chinese New Year, which falls on January 25, will see many tourists leave for Thailand and the country is on alert for further potential outbreaks.
A study published by London’s Imperial College has claimed that there could be more than 1,723 cases in just Wuhan.
The authors of the study wrote: “It is likely that the Wuhan outbreak of a novel coronavirus has caused substantially more cases of moderate or severe respiratory illness than currently reported.”