- Passengers from China arriving in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York will be screened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a mysterious new virus that's killed two and sickened dozens in China.
- The virus, which is similar to SARS and causes pneumonia-like symptoms, was identified late last year in Wuhan, China , a city 700 miles south of Beijing, and has been detected in Thailand and Japan.
- Most of the patients are thought to have contracted the virus from animals, but person-to-person transmission appears to be possible, albeit less common.
- Sign up for Business Insider's transportation newsletter, Shifting Gears, to get more stories like this in your inbox .
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .
Travelers from China are being screened at US airports for a mysterious new virus that's killed 2 and sickened dozens
Recommended articles
![Graça Machel was born in 1945 [CGTN]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'100'%20height%3D'100'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "Graça Machel was born in 1945 [CGTN]")
Federal health officials said on Friday that they would begin screening passengers arriving at three US airports from Wuhan, China, for signs of infection from a mysterious and potentially deadly new virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it would deploy about 100 staff members to San Francisco International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to help screen incoming passengers.
The screenings at three airports, which receive most of the travelers from Wuhan to the US on direct and connecting flights, will start Friday evening and Saturday morning. CDC officials will look for symptoms such as coughing and difficulty breathing, and will check passengers' temperatures using an infrared thermometer.
ADVERTISEMENT
The new screening marks the first time that the CDC has moved to proactively check arriving travelers since the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
The new virus, called " 2019-nCoV " by the CDC, is a coronavirus, the type of virus behind severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.
2019-nCoV, which causes flu and pneumonia-like symptoms, was first observed late last year. The virus has killed two people and sickened dozens in China. Two cases have also been reported in Thailand, and one in Japan, both linked to travelers from Wuhan.
"Investigations into this novel coronavirus are ongoing and we are monitoring and responding to this evolving situation," Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the CDC's division which observes and manages global migration and quarantine needs, said in a press release.
The screenings come as millions of people are traveling across China and overseas for Lunar New Year, which starts on January 25. The World Health Organization said in a statement that additional cases in other countries were likely, "considering global travel patterns."
ADVERTISEMENT
More than 60,000 people arrived in the US from Wuhan, a city about 700 miles south of Beijing, in 2019, the CDC said.
Chinese health officials reported that most, but not all, of the infected people had been near a large market where livestock was present, suggesting that the virus had jumped the species barrier and been transmitted directly from the animals. Person-to-person transmission appears more difficult, CDC officials said.
Several hundred healthcare workers who have treated patients have not shown any signs of contracting the virus.
See Also:
ADVERTISEMENT
- A Delta plane injured 26 people by dumping fuel over an elementary school here's why planes dump fuel, and how they usually try and avoid hitting people
- Delta has tough questions to answer from the FAA about why it dumped jet fuel over a school during an emergency landing at LAX
- Carlos Ghosn's wife said she's happy he fled Japan
SEE ALSO: 'This airplane is designed by clowns': Damning Boeing emails reveal internal complaints made about 737 Max safety and information being covered up
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: news@pulselive.co.ke
Recommended articles
African countries with the highest divorce rate
10 African cities with the highest crime index at the start of 2024
Machoka at 70: Emotions run high during Citizen TV presenter's birthday [Video]
Diwali 2022: Is Monday a public holiday in Kenya?
Akothee finally reveals reasons for separating from Omosh 1 month after wedding
Man, once a ‘billionaire’, recounts how he lost wealth, now sells his book on streets [Video]
Details of Ngina Kenyatta's luxurious restaurant
Zero Chills! Jackie Matubia's advice for Milly Chebby amid the unfollow drama