GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Many countries are unprepared to face the deadly virus spreading in China and beyond, a global health monitor warned Thursday as it urged governments to get ready. The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), an independent body created by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, hailed “the speed of response so far” by China and other countries affected by the novel coronavirus. “The Board, however, is concerned that many countries […]
Tag: health
Italy suspends all China flights after coronavirus cases confirmed
ROME, Italy (AFP) –The Italian government said Thursday it was suspending all flights between Italy and China after doctors confirmed two Chinese tourists had tested positive for the coronavirus. Health Minister Roberto Speranza has issued a “decree closing air traffic to and from China,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told a news conference without giving a list of the affected airlines. “We think we are the first EU country to take this precautionary measure,” Conte added […]
The global spread of the coronavirus: Where is it?
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A virus similar to the SARS pathogen has killed 170 people and spread around the world since emerging in a market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. On Thursday, China’s National Health Commission said 7,711 people had been infected by the novel coronavirus. Outside mainland China, there have been more than 100 infections reported. The World Health Organization has declared an international emergency over the outbreak. Here are the places […]
600 Europeans seeking to leave China amid virus: EU
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Nearly 600 European citizens in China want to be repatriated because of the coronavirus epidemic, the EU said on Wednesday, as airlines began suspending flights to and from the Asian giant. “There are a number of EU citizens in China who would like to leave the country, the current number is about 600, and they cannot do so at the moment,” Janez Lenarcic, the EU commissioner for crisis management told reporters. […]
African nations take first measures to stop spread of Chinese virus
MALABO, Equatorial Guinea (AFP) — African states, including the continent’s biggest economy Nigeria, on Wednesday said they had begun to introduce measures aimed at stopping the spread of the new coronavirus. No verified infection has been reported to date in sub-Saharan Africa, but elsewhere countries have stopped flights to China and airlifted their citizens out of the area where the virus emerged. Nigeria issued a travel advisory advising “all Nigerians and persons intending to travel […]
New coronavirus study places incubation period at around 5 days
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The period between exposure to the new coronavirus that originated in China and symptoms is 5.2 days on average, but varies greatly among patients, according to one of the largest studies yet published on the deadly epidemic. While admitting that the estimate is “imprecise,” the Chinese team behind a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on Wednesday said their findings support a 14-day medical observation period […]
Three Japanese evacuated from Wuhan have new coronavirus: health minister
by Miwa SUZUKI TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Three Japanese evacuated from the epicentre of a deadly new coronavirus outbreak have tested positive for the illness, the government said Thursday as it faced criticism for the country’s minimal quarantine measures. The new cases were announced as a second evacuation flight from Wuhan landed in Tokyo, and the government confirmed the second case of apparent person-to-person transmission of the virus in Japan. More than 400 people have […]
UPDATE: China virus deaths hit 170 nationwide, more than 1,700 new cases
WUHAN, China (AFP) — The nationwide death toll from China’s viral epidemic has leaped to 170, the government said on Thursday, with more than 1,700 new infections confirmed. Thirty-seven of the 38 new deaths came in hard-hit Hubei province, the epicenter of a contagion that is causing mounting global fear. Another death occurred in southwestern Sichuan province, the National Health Commission reported. Tibet also reported its first case, the commission said. The 38 new deaths […]
Airlines halt, reduce China flights
PARIS, France (AFP) — A number of airlines say they are halting or reducing flights to China as the country struggles to contain the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus sweeping the country. China has advised its citizens to postpone trips abroad and canceled overseas group tours, while several countries have urged their citizens to avoid travel to China if possible. The epidemic has killed 132 people, infected more than 6,000 worldwide, and spread to […]
No US passengers evacuated from China show symptoms of virus: officials
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — None of the 195 US citizens evacuated on a chartered flight from the Chinese city at the epicenter of a deadly virus outbreak have shown symptoms of infection, a senior US health official said Wednesday. They have been assigned quarters at a military base in California where they will remain in isolation on a voluntary basis for 72 hours, said Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]
The global spread of the coronavirus: Where is it?
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A virus similar to the SARS pathogen has killed 132 people and spread around the world since emerging in a market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Here are the countries that have confirmed cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus: CHINA As of Wednesday, nearly 6,000 people have been infected across China, the majority in and around Wuhan. Most of the 132 who have died were in that region, but […]
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 […]
