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China is worried about this mysterious virus. Here’s what you need to know

It’s not SARS. But it’s worrying China and the rest of Asia.

By Herb Scribner Herb Scribnerhscribner@deseretnews.com
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Health surveillance officer use device to check temperature of passengers before the immigration counters at International airport in Hong Kong, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020.

Health surveillance officer use device to check the temperatures of passengers before the immigration counters at International airport in Hong Kong, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020.

Andy Wong, Associated Press

Several health officials from China are worried about a mysterious and unknown virus that has infected dozens of people.

What happened: Chinese health officials said a new mysterious strain of pneumonia has infected dozens of people in China, putting people in Asia on the lookout for a possible spread, according to CNN.

  • 59 cases of the viral pneumonia have hit Wuhan, which is located in central China.
  • Seven patients remain in critical condition.
  • All patients have been put in quarantine.
  • No deaths have happened from the sickness.
  • Patients include a 2-year-old boy and a female college student, according to the South China Morning Post.

Response: Alerts have been issued in Hong Kong and Singapore, according to The Wall Street Journal.

  • World Health Organization in a statement (via SCMP): “There is limited information to determine the overall risk of this reported cluster of pneumonia of unknown (cause).”
  • WHO: “The reported link to a wholesale fish and live animal market could indicate a link to exposure to animals.”

Flashback: The outbreak made noise in December. China expressed worry that severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) had returned. SARS created a pandemic across Asia in the early aughts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  • SARS spread to 37 countries.
  • SARS infected more than 8,000 people.
  • SARS killed 774 people.
  • The infection was widespread from November 2002 to July 2003.

Fears: Li Gang, director of the Wuhan Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, told Changjiang Ribao, a local newspaper, that there’s no evidence the disease passes from humans to humans, according to the South China Morning Post.

  • “Preliminary investigations have not shown evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus. But the work to identify the virus is still ongoing, as we are still uncertain of the source and cause of the virus.”
  • Ho Pak-leung, a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong, told the South China Morning Post it’s likely the disease traveled from animals to humans.