Symptoms:
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
Transmission: Cases started emerging from people who happens to attend wet markets in Wuhan. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted from animals to people. It is now established that 2019-nCoV can spread between people, such as MERS and SARS. Person-to-person transmission occurs among close contact, mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens spread. Safety measures: Be sure to consult the Hong Kong Health Department guidelines for the general public and WHO’s standard recommendations: • Frequently clean hands by using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water; • When coughing and sneezing cover mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue – throw tissue away immediately and wash hands; • Avoid close contact with anyone who has fever and cough; • If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing seek medical care early and share previous travel history with your health care provider; • When visiting live markets in areas currently experiencing cases of novel coronavirus, avoid direct unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals; • The consumption of raw or undercooked animal products should be avoided. Raw meat, milk or animal organs should be handled with care, to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods, as per good food safety practices. Hospital Authority Hospital Authority is on emergency response level and will provide updated information to the general public.
