Printer-friendly version
By Miriam Raftery
January 28, 2020 (San Diego) – A traveler to San Diego who recently visited China may have contracted a new coronavirus tied to a global outbreak of respiratory illness. County health officials have sent a sample to the Centers for Disease Control for testing.
Today the Centers for Disease Control issued a travel advisory urging travelers to cancel all non-essential travel to anywhere In China, where 25 to 50 million people are now quarantined in multiple cities. The CDC broadened its warning, which formerly only applied to the Wuhan province where the disease was first identified in December.
Screenings of airline passengers from China are also being expanded to 20 airports with quarantine facilities.
Hong Kong has announced it will stop issueing permits to travelers from mainland China. Inside China, transportation out of impacted cities is shut down, leaving some Americans stranded Yahoo News reports.
The local patient is currently in isolation at home while San Diego County’s Health and Huma Services Agency officials are working to identify those who had close contact with the patient and quarantine them. Five cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the U.S. including two in California (Orange County and Los Angeles).
“We’re in constant communication with all the appropriate entities and have a protocol and plan to deal with any potential case,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “We are prepared and are conducting surveillance for this new virus just like we do for any communicable disease, including previously identified coronaviruses.”
“The risk of infection for the general public minimal,” Wooten added. “If you have not travelled to an area where the virus has been detected or had close contact with a patient who tested positive for this type of coronavirus, the risk of infection is very low.”
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats and bats.
Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people such as with Middle East respiratory syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome. Many of the patients in the pneumonia outbreak caused by 2019-nCov in Wuhan, China had some link to a large seafood and live animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. However, a growing number of patients diagnosed with 2019-nCoV have not reported exposure to animal markets, indicating person-to-person spread is occurring.
What to Do if You’ve Traveled to an Impacted Area?
Currently, five airports across the nation are monitoring returning travelers from areas impacted with this new strain of coronavirus. HHSA is also in contact with Baja California health authorities, who are monitoring travelers arriving to Tijuana from China.
Patients with confirmed 2019-nCoV infection have reported mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficult breathing.
At this time, the CDC believes that symptoms of 2019-nCoV may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure.
If you’ve travelled to one of the impacted areas and start to develop symptoms, you should contact your medical provider before showing up at their office so that they can take precautions before your visit.
How to Protect Yourself from Coronaviruses
Practice everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including:
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
“These everyday habits can help prevent the spread of several viruses,” Wooten said.
For more information about 2019-nCoV, visit the CDC’s website or HHSA’s Epidemiology Unit. The County has also established a coronavirus call line at (619) 692-8499.
Recent comments