Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

59 people in Wuhan found with mystery pneumonia strain, authorities reveal

HONG KONG — Authorities in Wuhan announced on Sunday (Jan 5) that 59 people had been admitted to hospital with an unidentified form of pneumonia, up from 44 on Friday, while nine more patients were found with fever or respiratory symptoms after returning to Hong Kong from the city in central China.

A security patrol outside the Wuhan Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which has been identified as the site of the outbreak.

A security patrol outside the Wuhan Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which has been identified as the site of the outbreak.

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

HONG KONG — Authorities in Wuhan announced on Sunday (Jan 5) that 59 people had been admitted to hospital with an unidentified form of pneumonia, up from 44 on Friday, while nine more patients were found with fever or respiratory symptoms after returning to Hong Kong from the city in central China.

In Singapore, the Ministry of Health said that after investigations, it found that a suspected case involving a three-year-old girl from China is not linked to the Wuhan pneumonia cluster.

Wuhan health authorities said on Sunday night the virus was not Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) or Mers (Middle East respiratory syndrome) but that a final identification of the strain was still in progress.

Although the total number of infections had increased, there were fewer people in serious condition, falling to seven from 11, according to a statement on the website of the Wuhan Municipal Commission. At least 163 people who had been in close contact with those infected were placed under medical observation. A seafood market in the Hubei province city was the site of the outbreak.

The authorities had previously ruled out common flu, avian flu, adenovirus infection and other common respiratory diseases. Further laboratory tests and investigations were under way.

The commission added that a preliminary investigation found no evidence of human-to-human transmission, and none of the medical staff had been infected. Some of the patients are vendors at the same seafood market, which has already been shut down and sanitised, it said.

Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said public hospitals had admitted eight more patients, including a boy, nine, and a two-year-old girl, in the 24 hours to noon on Sunday with fever, respiratory infection or pneumonia symptoms who had also been to Wuhan in the past 14 days. At least seven of them confirmed that they had not been to any wet market there.

The patients were all in stable condition. Apart from the two children, the other new cases reported involved four men and two women, aged between 22 and 55. The nine-year-old boy, who was seen by a private doctor, was the latest suspected case revealed.

All patients were quarantined and being treated in hospitals. Four were confirmed to have flu or other related illnesses, while the others were waiting for test results.

Meanwhile, Chinese University’s student union in Hong Kong said a 20-year-old female student residing in a dormitory was hospitalised for suspected pneumonia symptoms. It was understood she had travelled to Wuhan ­recently.

A university spokeswoman said the student returned to Hong Kong on Dec 29 and developed symptoms on Saturday. She and her roommate were sent to hospital for further checks.

That takes the total number of suspected cases reported in the city to 17. But, of eight other cases reported by Saturday evening, none of the patients were found to have the unidentified strain. Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said at least five people among all those identified as suspected cases had been discharged from hospital.

Wuhan authorities announced on Friday that 44 people had been admitted to hospital with the unidentified virus, up from 27 on Tuesday.

Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, a Chinese University respiratory medicine expert, believed the new cases might not have a direct connection with the wet market in Wuhan, but it was necessary to isolate the patients as a precaution.

In a statement issued late on Sunday, Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection said it had received notification from the mainland’s National Health Commission on the latest information about the Wuhan cases.

“While the causative pathogen and cause of infection are still under investigation, respiratory pathogens including influenza viruses, avian influenza viruses, adenovirus, Severe acute respiratory syndrome [Sars] and Middle East respiratory syndrome have been ruled out,” it said.

“According to the risk assessment of the World Health Organisation, the reported link of this cluster of pneumonia of unknown aetiology to a wholesale fish and live animal market could indicate an exposure link to animals.”

Macau has reported four cases of patients who had recently been to Wuhan and developed suspected pneumonia symptoms, but all have been confirmed to be flu or other common viruses. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

Related topics

Health

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.