Officials Monitor Outbreak of 2019 Novel Coronavirus in Wuhan, China; Low Threat to Guam

Officials Monitor Outbreak of 2019 Novel Coronavirus in Wuhan, China; Low Threat to Guam

The Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS), along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is closely monitoring an outbreak of a 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China that began in December 2019.
 
At this time, Guam is considered to be at low risk from the virus. Also, there are no direct flights from Wuhan City, China to Guam. DPHSS continues to work with partner agencies, the Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense (GHS/OCD) and Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency (CQA), for situational awareness.
 
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Some cause illness in people; numerous other coronaviruses circulate among animals, including camels, cats, and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can evolve and infect people and then spread between people such as has been seen with Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV).
 
Chinese authorities report most patients in the Wuhan City outbreak have been epidemiologically linked to a large seafood and animal market, suggesting a possible zoonotic origin to the outbreak. Chinese authorities additionally report that they are monitoring several hundred healthcare workers who are caring for outbreak patients; no spread of this virus from patients to healthcare personnel has been reported to date. Chinese authorities are reporting no ongoing spread of this virus in the community, but they cannot rule out that some limited person-to-person spread may be occurring.
 
Thailand and Japan have confirmed additional cases of 2019-nCoV in travelers from Wuhan, China. It is possible that more cases will be identified in the coming days. This is an ongoing investigation.
 
On January 11, 2020, CDC updated the level 1 travel health notice (“practice usual precautions”) for Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China with additional information (originally issued on January 6, 2020).
 
For more information, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html or call 800-CDC-INFO | (800-232-4636) | TTY: (888) 232-6348
 
 
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