The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has raised its travel alert for the Chinese city of Wuhan, as a pneumonia outbreak continues.
A new type of coronavirus has been identified as the cause of the outbreak, but it remains unclear where the virus may have come from. A cluster of cases are centered around a seafood market, but the fact that some patients have no history of visiting the market means that questions remain.
The virus has been found to have an incubation period of two weeks. It is known to have a limited ability to spread between people in cases of prolonged, close contact.
Taiwanese experts are in Wuhan for briefings about the outbreak from their Chinese counterparts. They are also visiting local hospitals to learn about the treatment of patients.
Under the heightened travel alert, Taiwanese people headed for Wuhan are being urged to take protective measures.
Meanwhile, health authorities are taking precautions aimed at keeping the outbreak from spreading to Taiwan. That’s as both Thailand and Japan have recorded one case each of pneumonia traceable to Wuhan. Measures include health screening for passengers at Taiwanese airports.