A coronavirus outbreak that started in Wuhan, the most populous city in central China, has killed at least 100 people and infected more than 4,600.
The disease has spread to at least 16 other countries outside China as well: Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Ivory Coast, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, the US, and Vietnam.
At first, authorities suspected that the coronavirus — which most likely originated at a seafood market — could only spread to humans from animals. But they have since determined that humans can transmit the virus to one other.
The coronavirus family is a large group of viruses that typically affect the respiratory tract. Coronaviruses can lead to illnesses like the common cold, pneumonia, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which resulted in 8,000 cases and 774 deaths in China from November 2002 to July 2003.
The outbreak's timing is especially worrisome, since hundreds of millions of people travel to and within China for the Lunar New Year celebration, which began on January 25 and lasts until February 8.
"Travel spreads this kind of virus like wildfire," Adrian Hyzler, the chief medical officer at Healix International, which offers risk-management solutions for global travelers, told Business Insider. "I think we're going to see cases popping up in cities all over the world."
Here's how to stay safe while flying.
Travelers should avoid close contact with people who are sick — particularly those with cold symptoms.
Samantha Lee/Business Insider
People who contracted the Wuhan virus have reported symptoms including a fever, chills, headaches, difficulty breathing, and a sore throat.
Travelers should try to avoid contact with people who display symptoms similar to those of pneumonia or the common cold, such as coughing or runny noses.
"What we don't know is to what extent this disease can be transmitted by people who are only mildly ill," Eric Toner, a senior scientist at Johns Hopkins University, told Business Insider. "That's one of the things that we're trying to figure out right now."
Travelers should wash their hands frequently with soap and water, making sure to scrub for at least 20 seconds, the CDC says. Avoid touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
A woman riding an electric bicycle near the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market on Friday. Getty Images
A woman riding an electric bicycle near the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market on Friday. Getty Images
There are no vaccines to protect humans from contracting a coronavirus.
"There is no cure for this virus," Hyzler said. "If there is a vaccine, it'll take years."
Wearing a mask isn't particularly helpful, Toner said.
People wearing protective masks arrive at the Beijing railway station on Tuesday to head home for the Lunar New Year. NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP via Getty Images
Many people in China have purchased face masks, which have reportedly sold out at some stores.
"There's little harm in it," Toner said. "But wearing masks, except in the situation of a healthcare provider, has never been shown to be a very effective way to protect yourself from infectious diseases."
If you're traveling to or within China, steer clear of live animals.
The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan. Photo by Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images
Scientists think the Wuhan virus outbreak might have started at a local seafood market where live animals were sold. So far, evidence suggests it might have jumped from bats to snakes to people.
Recent research suggests the virus that caused SARS in China may have spread to humans from horseshoe bats.
"Ever since SARS, there have been calls for improving or closing down the live animal markets in China," Toner said. "There's an awful lot we don't yet know, but it is fair to say that live-animal markets are a threat not just to the people who work in them, but to public health more generally."
The virus started to spread across Asia before it reached the US and Europe.
Global spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus
Fourteen cases have been reported in Thailand, while Taiwan and Singapore have seven cases each. Japan has six, and the US and Australia each have five.
Germany, Malaysia, and South Korea each have four cases; France has three; and Canada and Vietnam each have two. Sri Lanka, Ivory Coast, Cambodia, and Nepal all have one.
READ: China confirms over 6,000 virus cases, exceeding nation's SARS total
"I think it's laudable that the Chinese authorities have identified this quickly," Hyzler said. "There seems to be a good sharing of information."
Twenty US airports are screening passengers for the virus.
A notice for passengers from Wuhan, China, displayed near a quarantine station at the airport in Narita, Japan, on Friday. Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
"I think it's laudable that the Chinese authorities have identified this quickly," Hyzler said. "There seems to be a good sharing of information."
The airports include New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
Airports in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and South Korea, are also screening passengers for fever.
"Screening is a very imperfect tool, but it's the only tool we have to try and prevent the importation of a disease," Toner said.
Flights to and from Wuhan have been suspended.
Health officers screen arriving passengers from China with thermal scanners at Changi International Airport in Singapore on January 22, 2020. ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images
The US government is planning to charter a flight to evacuate US diplomats and their families.
wuhan virus airport
All of Wuhan's public transportation — including buses, metros, ferries, and train — were shut down on January 23. Trains and airplanes coming in and out of the city were halted and roadblocks were installed to keep taxis and private cars from exiting.
Wuhan's 11 million residents have been told not to leave the city, barring special circumstances.
The US government is set to evacuate three dozen US diplomats and their families from Wuhan on a flight leaving Wednesday morning local time, CNN reported. The flight will refuel in Anchorage, Alaska, then land in Ontario, California.
Both France and Japan have plans to evacuate their citizens as well. French passengers will spend 14 days in quarantine after arriving in their home country later this week.
Tourist attractions throughout China have been temporarily shuttered.
Bobby Yip/Reuters
Shanghai Disneyland closed on Saturday and has not stated when it will reopen. The announcement came at a time of peak spending at the park, which has said it will refund tickets.
The Badaling section of the Great Wall of China temporarily closed on Saturday as well.
If you do become ill after traveling to or within China, report your symptoms to a health authority right away.
If you do become ill after traveling to or within China, report your symptoms to a health authority right away.
A notice explaining precautions to be taken by people traveling to Wuhan at Rome Fiumicino International Airport on Tuesday. Associated Press
Toner said people who have been ill and visited China recently should tell a doctor about their travel history.
"I think they're doing the right things," Toner said of the Chinese government's response. "They are screening for patients or passengers that are coming in. They are trying to educate them to make sure they get care. They're trying to isolate them as soon as they start getting sick. These are the things that prevent a transmission."
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