ease.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus meanwhile said he was postponing a decision on whether or not to declare a global health emergency -- a rare instrument used only for the worst outbreaks -- saying he needed "more information". Hundreds of people have been infected with the virus in China and 17 have died since the first case was detected in Wuhan on December 31 and authorities have already urged visitors to steer clear of the city.
The illness is mainly transmitted via the respiratory tract and there "is the possibility of viral mutation and further spread of the disease", health commission vice minister Li Bin told a news conference in Beijing.Major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Chongqing have also reported cases, as well as provinces in northeastern, central, and southern China.
Passengers are facing screening measures at five US airports and a host of transport hubs across Asia. "We already know that the disease originated from a market which conducted illegal transaction of wild animals," said Gao Fu, director of the Chinese center for disease control and prevention.Hong Kong and British scientists have estimated that between 1,300 and 1,700 people in Wuhan may have been infected. Health authorities are urging people to wash their hands regularly, avoid crowded places, get plenty of fresh air and wear a mask if they have a cough.
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