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Coronavirus fears grow in China's Wuhan as death toll rises to six and 15 medical staff infected

Medical staff transfer a patient from an ambulance at the Jinyintan hospital: REUTERS
Medical staff transfer a patient from an ambulance at the Jinyintan hospital: REUTERS

Fifteen medical staff have been revealed to have been infected with a mysterious new coronavirus as Chinese officials announced the death toll had risen to six.

The chilling update on the spread of the virus came as the World Health Organisation called for an urgent meeting to consider declaring an international health emergency.

“Information about newly-reported infections suggest there may now be sustained human-to-human transmission,” said WHO regional director for the Western Pacific Takeshi Kasai.

The scare has raised fears of new Sars-style global pandemic.

Medical staff carry a box as they walk at the Jinyintan hospital (REUTERS)
Medical staff carry a box as they walk at the Jinyintan hospital (REUTERS)

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, another coronavirus that broke out in China in 2002, resulted in nearly 800 deaths.

Officials today said 223 people had been diagnosed globally, with all but a handful in China and most of them in the central city of Wuhan.

Pedestrians wear protective masks as they walk through a shopping district in Tokyo (AP)
Pedestrians wear protective masks as they walk through a shopping district in Tokyo (AP)

Isolated cases have been confirmed in Beijing, Shanghai and other Chinese cities.

Two cases have also been identified in Thailand, one in Japan and one in South Korea.

Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang (AP)
Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang (AP)

The virus may also have reached Australia with health authorities in Queensland monitoring a man who recently returned displaying symptoms consistent with the condition.

Australia announced it would screen passengers on flights from Wuhan, while Singapore said it would quarantine individuals with pneumonia and a history of travel to Wuhan within 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms.

Airport authorities in the US as well as most Asian nations have already started screening passengers from Wuhan.

The city’s mayor on Tuesday confirmed three new fatalities. They include an 89-year-old man, who also had heart disease, who died on Sunday.

The virus can cause pneumonia, with symptoms including fever and difficulty in breathing.

The mounting anxiety has transmitted to financial markets, with the yuan down nearly half a per cent.

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