WHO "Closure of Wuhan Pneumonia Epicenter... No Further Spread"

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] Despite the World Health Organization (WHO) announcement that the cluster pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China, originating from a seafood market, is no longer spreading, fear of pneumonia infection has not subsided.

According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 13th, WHO revealed the investigation results that the source of the cluster pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China, was a seafood market in the city, and that the market is currently closed.

WHO stated, "As of the 1st, this seafood market was closed," and explained, "So far, there have been no reported cases of Wuhan pneumonia originating from this seafood market spreading to other regions within China or internationally." It added, "At this stage, there is no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission."

The cause of the cluster outbreak of unknown viral pneumonia in Wuhan has been identified as a novel coronavirus based on initial investigations. Coronaviruses are pathogens that cause respiratory and intestinal diseases. Besides humans, mammals such as cattle, cats, dogs, camels, bats, rats, hedgehogs, and various species of birds can be infected.

Due to this pneumonia, suspected to be caused by the novel coronavirus, 41 confirmed cases have been reported in China, including the death of a 61-year-old man and seven patients in critical condition.

Although WHO has stated that Wuhan pneumonia has not spread to other regions within China and dismissed the possibility of human-to-human transmission, fear is growing as severe pneumonia cases emerge across China.

On the previous evening, a severe pneumonia patient was reported at Nanshan District People's Hospital in Shenzhen. The Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention tested samples from this patient and ruled out infection possibilities related to avian influenza, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), and the novel coronavirus originating from Wuhan.

Among experts, research results have also emerged indicating that this pneumonia virus is very similar to the SARS virus. According to SCMP, an international expert group consisting of Chinese medical staff and the University of Sydney in Australia analyzed the genome of the novel coronavirus identified as the cause of Wuhan pneumonia and stated, "This novel coronavirus showed an 80% similarity to the SARS virus genome," and "It is possible that, like SARS, it originated from bats and attacked humans through a cell receptor known as 'ACE2.'"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.