Health

China’s health commission warns of “walking source of infection”- patients without fever but have nCoV

  (Eagle News) — People who have either no symptoms of the novel coronavirus or have not developed them yet seem to be able to spread the virus, according to China’s Director of the National Health Commission Ma Xiaowei. Based on new information and research on the latest coronavirus strain, the 2019-nCoV, Ma said that the spread of the epidemic is “relatively fast” and there are cases, even those from outside China, where patients have […]

The highly contagious novel coronavirus: How it is transmitted

  (Videographics showing how the new coronavirus can be transmitted. Courtesy Agence France Presse)   (Eagle News) — The 2019 novel coronavirus or 2019 nCOV can easily spread from human to human, and the transmission can be via “aerosol droplets in the air released by sneezing or coughing” or by touching a surface which has the virus.” In this videographics provided by Agence France Presse, it shows that the virus is “most contagious when there […]

Turn back time: how quitting smoking reverses lung cell damage

by Sara HUSSEIN TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Smokers can effectively turn back time in their lungs by kicking the habit, with healthy cells emerging to replace some of their tobacco-damaged and cancer-prone ones, a new study shows. Smokers have long been told their risk of developing diseases like lung cancer will fall if they can quit, and stopping smoking prevents new damage to the body. But a study published Thursday in the journal Nature found […]

CDC faces challenge of Coronavirus outbreak in US

  By Arlene Ocampo and Jessieca Bautista EBC Washington D.C.Bureau WASHINGTON, DC (Eagle News) – The latest and primary concern in the international and domestic medical world today is the rapid outbreak of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. From its origin in Wuhan, China, the virus, scientifically named 2019-nCoV, has spread to about 18 locations around the world including Europe and the United States. Most of those who have been infected were associated with travel from […]

WHO chief, President Xi meet in Beijing; agree on entry of int’l experts into China to help stem virus epidemic

  (Eagle News) – China and the World Health Organization (WHO) both agreed to have international experts visit the country which is now at the center of the deadly 2019 novel coronavirus that has so far claimed more than 130 lives. This was the consensus in a meeting held on Tuesday, Jan. 28, between WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. The two officials “shared the latest information on […]

US developing vaccine against deadly China virus: officials

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States said Tuesday it was developing a vaccine against a deadly virus that originated in China, and urged Beijing to step up its cooperation with international health authorities. The US government is keen to place its own teams on the ground to review the raw data and learn more about the pathogen, which has so far claimed more than 100 lives. “We have already started at the NIH […]

WHO says global risk of China virus is ‘high’

  GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization on Monday said the global risk from the deadly virus in China was “high”, admitting an error in its previous reports that said it was “moderate”. The UN health body said in a situation report published late Sunday that the risk was “very high in China, high at the regional level and high at the global level.” In a footnote, the WHO said there had been […]

UPDATED: Countries with confirmed cases of coronavirus increase

  (Eagle News) — The number of countries with confirmed coronavirus cases grew further on Saturday, Jan. 25, as more confirmed cases were noted in various areas. The death toll due to the infections also climbed from the previous 41 to 54 in China, with at least 1,610 cases  mostly in Wuhan, a city which is the epicenter of the highly infectious coronavirus. Chinese authorities had confirmed 887 infection cases as of 5:25 p.m. Friday, […]

What we know so far about the new China virus

  by Helen ROXBURGH Agence France Presse As China locks down the city at the epicentre of a new viral outbreak, countries around the world are scrambling to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. Here’s what we know so far about the illness that has killed 17 people and infected at least 570, mostly in Wuhan: – It’s entirely new – The pathogen appears to be a never-before-seen strain of coronavirus — a family […]

How the new coronavirus developed

PARIS, France (AFP) — A new coronavirus, a mysterious SARS-like disease, has spread around China and three other Asian countries since first emerging in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. A timeline: – Alarm raised – The World Health Organization (WHO) is alerted on December 31, 2019, by the Chinese authorities of a string of pneumonia-like cases in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people. Patients are quarantined and work begins on identifying the origin […]

Studies suggest role of bats, snakes in outbreak of China virus

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A new strain of coronavirus that emerged in China may have originated in bats or snakes, according to genetic analysis of the virus that has so far killed 17 people. The theories are based on examination of the genome sequence of the virus released by authorities in the wake of the outbreak, with two studies pointing to the likely role of bats in the outbreak. One study, published Tuesday in the […]

US confirms first case of China virus as death toll reaches six

by Issam Ahmed with Helen Roxburgh in Beijing Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Tuesday announced its first case of a new virus that has claimed six lives in China and sickened hundreds, joining countries around the world in ramping up measures to block its spread. The man, a US resident in his 30s who lives near Seattle, is in good condition, according to federal and state officials, and approached […]