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Japan reports case of mystery virus behind China outbreak
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A woman (left) leaves the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where a man who died from a respiratory illness was confined, in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, on Jan. 12, 2020. A 61-year-old man has become the first person to die in China from a respiratory illness believed caused by a new virus from the same family as SARS, which claimed hundreds of lives more than a decade ago, authorities said. (AFP/Noel Celis)
A
case of the mystery respiratory infection related to the potentially deadly SARS virus, which first emerged in China, has been confirmed in Japan, authorities said Thursday.
It appears to be only the second time the novel coronavirus has been detected outside China, after the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed a case in Thailand.
Japan's health ministry said a man who had visited Wuhan, the apparent epicenter of the outbreak, was hospitalized on Jan. 10, four days after his return to Japan. He reported having a persistent fever.
Tests on the patient, who was released from hospital on Wednesday, confirmed he was suffering from the new virus.
"This is the first domestic discovery of a pneumonia case related to the new coronavirus," the ministry said in a statement.
"We will continue active epidemiological research while also coordinating efforts with the World Health Organization (WHO) and related agencies to conduct a risk assessment," it added.
The outbreak has caused alarm because the new virus is from the same family as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which killed 349 people in mainland China and 299 in Hong Kong in 2002 and 2003.
Authorities in Wuhan said a seafood market was the center of the outbreak. It was closed on Jan. 1.
The man hospitalized in Japan said he had not visited the market however, leaving it unclear how he contracted the virus.
The health ministry urged people who develop a cough or fever after visiting Wuhan to wear a surgical mask and "swiftly visit a medical institution".
On Wednesday Chinese authorities said the virus may have been spread between family members, opening the possibility of human-to-human transmission.
The woman diagnosed in Thailand, who is in a stable condition, also said she had not visited the Wuhan seafood market.
WHO doctor Maria Van Kerkhove on Tuesday said she "wouldn't be surprised if there was some limited human-to-human transmission, especially among families who have close contact with one another".
The outbreak has killed one person so far, with 41 patients reported in Wuhan.
Hong Kong authorities on Tuesday said several dozen people had been hospitalized with fever or respiratory symptoms after traveling to Wuhan, but no cases of the new virus have so far been confirmed.
