NICD actively testing for Chinese Caronavirus
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says it has measures in place to guard against the spread of the pneumonia-like Coronavirus from China into South Africa.
This comes as US health authorities on Tuesday announced the first case of a person on American soil sickened by the new virus that emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, and intensified airport health screenings.
The NICD's Cheryl Cohen says they are actively testing for the virus in South Africa, even though very little is know about how it is being transmitted.
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"Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that are mostly found in animals, but some of them can actually cause respiratory diseases in humans, " explains Cohen.
"It appears as if the vast majority of cases are actually acquired through direct exposure form material from the affected animal or environmental source," she says, but notes that the virus can mutate to be transmitted directly between people.
On Monday, China confirmed human-to-human transmission in the outbreak of the SARS-like virus as the number of cases soared and the World Health Organization (WHP) said it would consider declaring an international public health emergency.
According to the NICD, the risk for SA to be effected by the Caronavirus is still low at this time.
* Additional reporting by AFP