No case of the disease has been seen in Iran but screenings are active in borders and terminals, including Imam Khomeini International Airport, said Hossein Erfani, head of transmittable disease care department at Health Ministry.
The death toll from the Wuhan coronavirus has risen to nine, as dozens more cases were reported across China and as far afield as the western United States sparking fears of a possible pandemic, CNN reported.
Top officials at the World Health Organization will convene for an emergency meeting in Geneva Wednesday, to decide whether the quickly developing outbreak constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern," and what recommendations should be made regarding it, including potential cross-border screening, greater surveillance and rolling out treatment programs.
Chinese health authorities said Wednesday that at least 453 cases had been confirmed in the mainland, with three new deaths linked to the virus in Hubei, the central Chinese province of which Wuhan is the capital. Cases were also confirmed in the Chinese territory of Macao and the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Beyond China, officials in Washington state confirmed the first case on US soil Tuesday. Cases have also been reported in South Korea, Thailand and Japan, and suspected cases detected in Australia.
Worldwide a total of 461 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak was detected in mid-December.
On December 31, the Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a new type of pneumonia in the city of Wuhan in central China. On January 7, Chinese specialists determined the virus behind the infection — coronavirus 2019-nCoV. Doctors say that the symptoms of the new coronavirus include running nose, cough, sore throat and chest tightness. Migraines and fever are also possible, and they can last for several days. The risk group includes people with a compromised immune system, such as seniors and children. They present with symptoms similar to those of penumonia and bronchitis.
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