China Virus Toll At 9, Pandemic Fears Grow

Authorities in China and beyond stepped up efforts to control an outbreak of a new flu-like coronavirus on Wednesday, as the death toll rose to nine with 440 confirmed cases, while suspicion grew that the virus crossed to humans from animals.

China discouraged public gatherings in Hubei province, where the virus emerged last month, and tightened containment measures in hospitals, while the World Health Organization (WHO) was due to hold an emergency meeting to determine whether the outbreak constituted a global health emergency.

The virus has spread from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, in Hubei, to Beijing, Shanghai, Macau, Hong Kong, and beyond to the United States, Thailand, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

The Chinese government has provided updates on the number of cases in a bid to head off panic, as hundreds of millions of people prepare to travel at home and abroad for Lunar New Year celebrations starting this week.

Symptoms of the virus, which can cause pneumonia, include fever, coughing and difficulty breathing.

There is no vaccine for the virus, which can be passed from person to person. Fifteen medical personnel are among those infected in China.

Fears of a pandemic similar to an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that started in China and killed nearly 800 people in 2002-2003 have roiled global markets, with aviation and luxury goods stocks hit particularly hard and the Chinese yuan tumbling.

Airports around the world have stepped up screening of travellers from China.

A first case of the virus emerged in nearby Hong Kong on Wednesday, media reported. The patient arrived in Hong Kong via high-speed railway from the mainland and had been quarantined, media said.