Medical staff at the Jinyintan hospital in Wuhan, which houses patients with the Wuhan coronavirus. Reuters
CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Department of Health (DoH) is now investigating the case of a 5-year-old child from Wuhan City in China, who is currently admitted in a hospital in Cebu City, after testing positive for for a non-specific pancorona virus.
READ: China confirms new coronavirus can spread between humans-to-humans
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III disclosed this in a press conference in Manila on Tuesday, January 21, 2020.
Duque also said the child tested negative of the previous known strains of coronavirus – MERS-COv (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) and SARS-COv (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus).
He added that the child, prior to being admitted, was observed to have cough and fever.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus scare prompts tight screening for Boracay-bound tourists as 3 Chinese shows flu symptoms
"However, the samples tested positive for the non-specific pancoronavirus assay, thus the specimen has been sent to Australia to identify the specific coronavirus strain," he said.
Duque said the patient "is still experiencing cough but is currently stable and afebrile" or no longer feverish.
Duque held the news briefing a day after it was reported that the provincial health office of Aklan quarantined 3 Chinese travelers who were detected as having fever upon their arrival at the Kalibo International Airport.
The Aklan provincial health office said on Monday, January 20, that throat swabs and blood samples were taken from the 3 who all came on different flights on January 17, 18, and 20. They were later allowed to proceed to Boracay, their destination, after their fever and breathing difficulty subsided.
In the case of the 3 Chinese travelers, Duque said, "The signs and symptoms manifested by the 3 Chinese nationals did not fit the case definition as prescribed by the WHO interim guidelines on the new coronavirus."
A third person is confirmed to have died and 136 new cases are found over the weekend in Wuhan. Meanwhile, South Korea reports its first case.
A 35-year-old Chinese woman who flew in from Wuhan is confirmed to have the new coronavirus strain, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says
(UPDATED) The WHO panel will meet in Geneva on January 22 to determine whether to declare the outbreak an international public health emergency
He also said the 3 "had no history of travel to Wuhan, and without any known contact with a confirmed 2019 novel coronavirus case, Severe Acute Respiratory illness case, or sick animals.:
The SARS-like viral disease caused by what the World Health Organization (WHO) and the medical community are calling the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), was initially reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Chinese health officials said it could be transmitted between humans.
Cases have since been reported in the cities of Beijing and Shanghai and the province of Guangdong. South Korea, Japan, and Thailand have also reported cases of the disease, which was found in people who visited Wuhan. So far, a total of 218 people have been diagnosed with the virus.
This novel strain is the 7th known type of coronavirus that humans can contract. The 2019 nCoV, according to WHO, is “a never-before-seen strain belonging to a broad family of viruses ranging from the common cold to more serious illnesses such as SARS.” (READ: What is coronavirus? New disease spreading in Asia revives SARS fears)
SARS or severe acute respiratory syndrome is a potentially deadly illness that spread in 2003 and killed over 800 in China and Hong Kong. It started in China and quickly spread in Asia, even reaching Europe and North America. It was transmitted through coughing and sneezing.
In the Philippines, SARS claimed two deaths in 2003 – a Filipino nursing assistant visiting from Canada and her father, whom she had infected.
SARS may start out like flu. Initial symptoms of the disease are: fever over 38 °C, chills, muscle aches and soreness. After 2 to 7 days, infected people develop dry cough, which affects oxygen intake. SARS can then lead to pneumonia, heart failure, and liver failure, especially if infected people have existing illnesses like diabetes and hepatitis.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier in January ordered the health department’s Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) to strengthen its surveillance of incoming travelers from China after initial reports of the disease in Wuhan.
Duque said the BOQ will be on high alert, especially with travelers manifesting fever or signs of respiratory infection. He also urged the public, especially those who have recently traveled from China, to seek immediate medical consult if they have been experiencing flu-like symptoms. — Rappler.com
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This article first appeared on Cebu Daily News and Rappler.
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