GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — Public health officials in the United States are keeping a close eye on a virus spreading in China.
The Wuhan Coronavirus is in the same virus family as the common cold, but unlike the cold, it’s serious enough that Chinese authorities have quarantined over 20 million people and US authorities have begun screening at three major airports.
“Right now we are still waiting for more information from public health and the CDC,” said Lori Notz, a Bellin Health Infection Prevention Specialist “We are getting updates from them regarding what’s going on. As soon as they have information, they give it to us.”
Coronaviruses are actually a family of viruses, and some are quite common.
“We have it in our area, but it’s usually the common cold,” Notz told WTAQ.
The SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) pandemic, which swept through southern China between 2002 and 2003, was also caused by a coronavirus. Over 700 people died during that outbreak. 27 cases were confirmed in the United States, although none were fatal.
Notz says you don’t have anything to worry about right now, as long as you haven’t been to Wuhan.
“If someone has a fever or cough and hasn’t been to one of those [impacted] areas…or have been to any major airports…what I understand from the CDC is that they shouldn’t worry about that,” said Notz.
One case of the Wuhan Coronavirus has been confirmed in the United States. The victim is a man who had recently returned from China.
Meanwhile, six University of Wisconsin-Platteville students who traveled from China recently are being monitored for possible infection.
