Heavy snow and difficult travel expected again, heaviest snow in southern Minnesota

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

A new strain of virus that appears to have originated in China is spreading rapidly and crossing borders. There are more than 4,500 confirmed cases worldwide and 106 reported deaths as of Jan. 28. 

Here's what we know so far about this virus, as reported by NPR's daily science podcast 

The outbreak is caused by a coronavirus. Common human coronaviruses cause mild to moderate upper respiratory symptoms, including 

, while more severe types can cause pneumonia and death. The name for this kind of virus comes from the crownlike spikes it has on its surface — "corona" is Latin for "crown."

This strain of the virus is called 2019-nCoV for now, which is short for "2019 novel coronavirus." It's only the third strain of coronavirus known to frequently cause severe symptoms in humans. The other two are 

Coronaviruses originate in animals — like camels, civets and bats — and are usually not transmissible to humans. But occasionally a coronavirus mutates and can pass  from animals to humans and then from human to human, as was the case with the SARS epidemic

in the early 2000s. (SARS stands for "severe acute respiratory syndrome.") China's National Health Commission confirmed  that 

 have become infected, indicating that the virus can spread from human to human.

Most, but not all, of the first known cases in December 2019 were traced to 

 in the Chinese city of Wuhan and are believed to have come from contact with live animals that were infected. The market has since been closed. Wuhan is a major 

. It lies about 500 miles west of Shanghai and is home to more than 11 million people.

The virus causes fever as well as respiratory symptoms: dry cough, difficulty breathing. It can also cause diarrhea and body aches. Symptoms in severe cases include pneumonia, kidney failure and even death, according to the 

Should someone with a fever be screened for Wuhan coronavirus?

The symptoms of this infection might appear the same as those for a cold or flu, but at this time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 

 suggest screening only people who have recently traveled to Wuhan or who have had close prolonged contact with a 2019-nCoV-infected person. The CDC can confirm the virus with a diagnostic test that it developed based on the genetic sequence of the virus that Chinese health officials obtained and made publicly available on Jan. 12.

The World Health Organization's Emergency Committee on the coronavirus said in a Jan. 22 news conference that nearly three-quarters of cases have been in people over age 40 and that "cases who died — many had significant underlying conditions" like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. But there are confirmed cases in otherwise healthy, young individuals.

What treatments are recommended for this virus?

There are no virus-specific treatments for 2019-nCoV. The CDC suggests supportive care to manage and relieve symptoms. There is 

What are the affected countries and regions? 

To date, 18 countries or places have confirmed cases. Mainland China reported 

including 106 deaths. At least 76 other cases 

have been identified in 17 other places, including

 the U.S., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Five U.S. cases have been reported to date. The 

 was reported on Jan. 21, in a man who traveled to China and began experiencing symptoms a few days after returning home to Seattle on Jan. 15. The second case, a woman in Chicago, was 

Health officials believe the virus can be passed from person to person via exchange of fluids from the respiratory tract, but they still don't know precisely how. The respiratory route seems likely because clusters of cases have been observed within families, whose members have had prolonged close contact with an infected person. There is emerging evidence in Wuhan that the virus can spread from one person to another to another multiple times — the way that a disease like the flu spreads. That's something that global health officials are watching for in international cases.

," according to China's Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control. But the agency does not consider the disease to be as virulent as the one that caused the SARS outbreak in 2003. The risk to the general American public is 

 according to the CDC: Most cases have been found in China, and so far international spread seems limited.

What is being done to contain the spread of the outbreak? 

Government officials in China have temporarily 

 to and from Wuhan by bus, subway, ferry, airplane and train, according to Chinese state media. At least 12 other Chinese cities have limited travel as well. The travel ban came just days before the biggest holiday on the Chinese calendar: Lunar New Year. Hundreds of millions of people travel every year during this holiday season, starting Jan. 25 and extending into February.

Airports around the world, including five in the U.S., have implemented 

 for passengers arriving from affected areas. On Jan. 28, the 

 will begin screening passengers from China.

On Jan. 27, the CDC and the U.S. state department recommended that travelers 

 for outbreak news. The China Center for Disease Control and Prevention has an 

Health

COVID-19

Emily Vaughn

Author

A new strain of virus that appears to have originated in China is spreading rapidly and crossing borders. There are more than 2,000 confirmed cases worldwide and 56 reported deaths as of Jan. 26. Here's what we do — and don't — know about coronavirus 2019-nCoV.

Listen to the Episode

Medical personnel wearing protective clothing

Wuhan coronavirus 101: What we do — and don't — know about a newly identified disease

Go Deeper.

Like this?