At one in the afternoon, The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission issued a health report regarding several signs of a pneumonia outbreak in the city of Wuhan, China today. In the report, the Municipal Health Commission promptly "carried out case searches and retrospective investigations related to South China Seafood City in the city’s medical and health institutions" (Wuhan City Health Committee Report, 1).
Epidemiologists and virology experts from Tongji Hospital, Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Infectious Disease Hospital, and Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention have run numerous preliminary laboratory test and currently believe that the cluster of cases circulating in the city of Wuhan is viral pneumonia. In the report, the experts have listed that "so far," no "person-to-person transmission," of the illness has been found — more information will develop in the coming days (Wuhan City Health Committee Report, 1).
Currently, the discovery of the known pathogen and the cause of the infection is unknown, however, epidemiologists in the report have advised residents to, "avoid closed public places with poor air circulation and crowded places, and wear masks when going out," as the report notes that the "disease is preventable and controllable," providing that residents of the region of Wuhan, China adhere to safety measures to help contain the pneumonia outbreak.
The report provided a case update regarding the number of critical cases and total cases, listed above. For more information regarding the outbreak of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China, click here. I will provide more information in the coming days — stay safe.