translated from Spanish: New virus from China is identified in Japan

TOKYO (AP) – A man who was treated for pneumonia after traveling to China tested positive for a new coronavirus identified as a possible cause of an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan.The man began to suffer fever and cough on January 3 when he was in Wuhan , returned to Japan on January 6 and was hospitalized four days later due to persistent cough and fever. An X-ray showed signs of pneumonia, the Ministry of Health, Employment and Social Services said Thursday.

Tests conducted on Tuesday identified the same coronavirus detected in other patients in the Wuhan outbreak, the Ministry noted.The man was discharged when referring his symptoms. He was identified only as a man in the thirties of Kanagawa Prefecture, west of Tokyo. No further cases had been detected in his family or in the medical staff who treated him. Kyodo News said the patient was Chinese. Authorities in Wuhan indicated last weekend that 41 patients had pneumonia caused by a new coronavirus and a 61-year-old man had died, the first death known in China by the virus. The World Health Organization also said it was consulting with health authorities in Thailand and China after a case was detected in Thailand by a Chinese traveller. The patient in Japan told authorities that he was not at the fish market associated with the outbreak, said Eiji Hinoshita, an official in the infectious diseases section of the Japanese ministry. However, he had “close contact” with at least one person with symptoms of pneumonia at the place where he stayed during his visit. Authorities reviewed the activity of the patient and the people with which he had contact in China and Japan upon his return, Hinoshita added.The news of the outbreak was known just before the lunar New Year, when many Chinese tourists are expected to travel. The Ministry urged those who visited or returned from Wuhan to wear masks and go to medical facilities promptly if they had a cough and fever. However, the authorities noted that the virus is not considered highly contagious and that simply talking or passing along with sick people should not be a cause for concern. China has tried to curb speculation that it could be a resurgence of the SARS epidemic, which killed hundreds of people in 2002 and 2003.Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some of which cause the common cold. Others found in bats, camels and other animals have evolved to cause more serious illnesses. Common symptoms include mucus, headache, fever and cough. Breathing difficulties, chills, and body pain are associated with more dangerous varieties of coronavirus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



Original source in Spanish

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