Archive for ‘National Health Commission’

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13/02/2020

China Focus: Chinese researchers isolate novel coronavirus strains from feces

GUANGZHOU, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) — Two separate research groups led by China’s top scientists said they had isolated novel coronavirus strains from samples of infected patients’ feces, but further study is needed to prove the existence of fecal-oral transmission.

Researchers from multiple organizations, including the State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease under Guangzhou Medical University, have successfully isolated a strain of virus from swab sample of an infected patient’s feces, said Zhao Jincun, a member of Chinese respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan’s research group, at a press conference Thursday.

The swab sample was provided by the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, said Zhao, also a professor with the laboratory.

Meanwhile, a research team led by Li Lanjuan, a renowned Chinese epidemiologist, also isolated novel coronavirus strains from stool specimens of infected patients. Three of the five feces samples tested positive, according to Wu Nanping, deputy director of the State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University.

“We made the discoveries in the laboratory, which still need further confirmation by epidemiologists. More scientific researches are also entailed concerning the level of infectivity and whether the virus in feces was swallowed by patients or from intestinal cell proliferation, as well as its relationship with blood, sputum and the occurrence and development of diseases,” Wu said.

According to Zhao, the discovery confirmed that the patients’ feces contained the live virus, but it still lacks sufficient evidence for the existence of fecal-oral transmission.

Transmission through means of respiratory and contact remain the major routes of the novel coronavirus spreading, said Mi Feng, an official with the National Health Commission, at a press conference Thursday.

Despite digestive tract problems of some patients, either as incipient symptoms or complications, the main clinical symptoms of the disease are fever, general weakness and dry cough, Mi said, adding that the coronavirus isolated from patients’ feces is not yet illustrative to prove the change of the transmission route.

Mi said that stomach and intestine symptoms, such as diarrhea, of some patients in the early stages, the positive test for the coronavirus nucleic acid in feces samples of patients and the isolated virus from patients’ feces samples indicate the proliferation of the virus can happen in the digestive tract after infection.

Wearing masks and keeping hands clean are the most important and effective ways to avoid infections, Mi said, adding that washing hands more frequently, in the right way and disinfection of hands can reduce the risk of infection fundamentally.

Further observation and research would be needed to identify the effect and significance of transmission via the digestive tract, including fecal-oral transmission, Mi said.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in Chinese epidemiologist, Chinese researchers, feces, Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangzhou Medical University, isolate, National Health Commission, novel coronavirus strains, State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

05/02/2020

Chinese hospitals discharge 892 recovered patients of coronavirus infection

BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) — A total of 892 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Tuesday, Chinese health authorities announced Wednesday.

Tuesday saw 262 people walk out of the hospital after recovery (125 in Hubei), the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

By the end of Tuesday, a total of 490 people had died of the disease and 24,324 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in Beijing, Chinese hospitals, coronavirus infection, discharge, hubei province, National Health Commission, recovered patients, Uncategorized, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China | Leave a Comment »

01/02/2020

Coronavirus declared global health emergency by WHO

The new coronavirus has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization, as the outbreak continues to spread outside China.

“The main reason for this declaration is not what is happening in China but what is happening in other countries,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The concern is that it could spread to countries with weaker health systems.

Meanwhile, the US has told its citizens not to travel to China.

The state department issued a level four warning – having previously urged Americans to “reconsider” travel to China – and said any citizens in China “should consider departing using commercial means”.

China has said it will send charter plans to bring back Hubei province residents who are overseas “as soon as possible”.

A foreign ministry spokesman said this was because of the “practical difficulties” Chinese citizens have faced abroad. Hubei is where the virus emerged.

At least 213 people in the China have died from the virus, mostly in Hubei, with almost 10,000 cases nationally.

The WHO said there had been 98 cases in 18 other countries, but no deaths.

Most international cases are in people who had been to Wuhan in Hubei.

However in eight cases – in Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the United States – patients were infected by people who had travelled to China.

People wearing masks

Getty Coronavirus outbreak outside China
  • 18 The number of countries with cases
  • 14 Cases in Thailand and Japan
  • 13 Singapore
  • 11 South Korea
  • 8 Australia and Malaysia
  • 5 France and USA

Source: WHO and local authorities

Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, Dr Tedros described the virus as an “unprecedented outbreak” that has been met with an “unprecedented response”.

He praised the “extraordinary measures” Chinese authorities had taken, and said there was no reason to limit trade or travel to China.

“Let me be clear, this declaration is not a vote of no confidence in China,” he said.

But various countries have taken steps to close borders or cancel flights, and companies like Google, Ikea, Starbucks and Tesla have closed their shops or stopped operations.

The US Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, has said the outbreak could “accelerate the return of jobs to North America”.

Presentational grey line

Preparing other countries

Analysis box by James Gallagher, health and science correspondent

What happens if this virus finds its way into a country that cannot cope?

Many low- and middle-income countries simply lack the tools to spot or contain it. The fear is it could spread uncontrollably and that it may go unnoticed for some time.

Remember this is a disease which emerged only last month – and yet there are already almost 10,000 confirmed cases in China.

The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa – the largest in human history – showed how easily poorer countries can be overwhelmed by such outbreaks.

And if novel coronavirus gets a significant foothold in such places, then it would be incredibly difficult to contain.

We are not at that stage yet – 99% of cases are in China and the WHO is convinced the country can control the outbreak there.

But declaring a global emergency allows the WHO to support lower- and middle-income countries to strengthen their disease surveillance – and prepare them for cases.

Presentational grey line

How unusual is this declaration?

The WHO declares a Public Health Emergency of International Concern when there is “an extraordinary event which is determined… to constitute a public health risk to other states through the international spread of disease”.

It has previously declared five global public health emergencies:

  • Swine flu, 2009 – The H1N1 virus spread across the world in 2009, with death toll estimates ranging from 123,000 to 575,400
  • Polio, 2014 – Although closer than ever to eradication in 2012, polio numbers rose in 2013
  • Zika, 2016 – The WHO declared Zika a public health emergency in 2016 after the disease spread rapidly through the Americas
  • Ebola, 2014 and 2019 – The first emergency over the virus lasted from August 2014 to March 2016 as almost 30,000 people were infected and more than 11,000 died in West Africa. A second emergency was declared last year as an outbreak spread in DR Congo

Media caption Inside the US laboratory developing a coronavirus vaccine

How is China handling the outbreak?

A confirmed case in Tibet means the virus has reached every region in mainland China. According to the country’s National Health Commission, 9,692 cases have tested positive.

The central province of Hubei, where nearly all deaths have occurred, is in a state of lockdown. The province of 60 million people is home to Wuhan, the heart of the outbreak.

The city has effectively been sealed off and China has put numerous transport restrictions in place to curb the spread of the virus.

Coronavirus cases have spread to every province in China. There are now 7711 cases compared to 291 on 20 Jan. Hubei province has more than 4500 cases.
People who have been in Hubei are also being told to work from home until it is considered safe for them to return.

The virus is affecting China’s economy, the world’s second-largest, with a growing number of countries advising their citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to the country.

How is the world responding?

Voluntary evacuations of hundreds of foreign nationals from Wuhan are under way.

The UK, Australia, South Korea, Singapore and New Zealand are expected to quarantine all evacuees for two weeks to monitor them for symptoms and avoid contagion.

Australia plans to quarantine its evacuees on Christmas Island, 2,000km (1,200 miles) from the mainland in a detention centre that has been used to house asylum seekers.

In other recent developments:

  • Italy suspended flights to China after two Chinese tourists in Rome were diagnosed with the virus; earlier 6,000 people on board a cruise ship were temporarily barred from disembarking
  • In the US, Chicago health officials have reported the first US case of human-to-human transmission. Around 200 US citizens have been flown out of Wuhan and are being isolated at a Californian military base for at least 72 hours
  • Russia has decided to close its 4,300km (2,670-mile) far-eastern border with China
  • Two flights to Japan have already landed in Tokyo. Japan has now raised its infectious disease advisory level for China
  • Some 250 French nationals have been evacuated from Wuhan
  • India has confirmed its first case of the virus – a student in the southern state of Kerala who was studying in Wuhan
  • Israel has barred all flight connections with China
  • Papua New Guinea has banned all visitors from “Asian ports”
  • North Korea will suspend all flights and trains to and from China, said the British ambassador to North Korea

Source: The BBC

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26/01/2020

Xinhua Headlines: Quiet and busy — Lunar New Year’s Eve in Wuhan, center of coronavirus fight

The Lunar New Year’s Eve in Wuhan, ground zero of the novel coronavirus outbreak in central China, is nothing but special. Behind the seemingly quiet streets, people in all walks of life are racing against time to fight against the invisible enemy.

WUHAN, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) — There were far fewer cars on the streets and bustling crowds were not seen in the shopping malls in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Jan. 24 — the Eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

The scene was quite different from the occasion in the previous years because of the novel coronavirus that has claimed over 40 lives and infected over a thousand nationwide. With a population of over 10 million, Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province, is the center of the epidemic.

Photo taken on Jan. 24, 2020 shows a medical aid team of Army Medical University leaving for Wuhan in southwest China’s Chongqing. On the Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve, a group of 150 medical workers from the Army Medical University left for Wuhan, the center of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, to provide medical aid. (Xinhua)

Yang Yingchen, a volunteer of the Red Cross Society of China’s Wuhan branch, had a busy day answering calls.

“People from across the nation called to check on accounts and addresses to make donations,” said Yang. “Many would say ‘Come on, Wuhan’ to us, which makes me feel especially warm and deeply moved.”

Chen Li, a doctor in a Wuhan hospital, spent the Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve at home to quarantine herself. She is a little bit worried about having had contact with infected patients, but luckily she has no signs of symptoms for the time being.

“Before joining the fight against the epidemic, I had sent my four-year-old son to my parents. I has disinfected all the articles in my house,” she said.

Chen’s husband is at the forefront of the fight against the epidemic. “We haven’t seen each other for over a week,” said Chen. On Saturday morning, she put on protective clothing again and returned to work.

“Actually, I can’t be isolated for too long. There’s still a lot of work to be done,” she said. “I just don’t know when I can see my boy again.”

Aerial photo taken on Jan. 24, 2020 shows mechanical equipment working at the construction site of a special hospital in the Caidian District of western suburb of Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province. The central China metropolitan of Wuhan will follow Beijing’s SARS treatment model to build a special hospital for admitting patients infected in the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

The virus had resulted in 41 deaths in China by the end of Friday, mostly in Wuhan, according to the National Health Commission. Nationwide, a total of 1,287 cases were confirmed, including 237 in critical condition.

Confirmed cases were also reported in China’s Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as Thailand, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States, Vietnam, Singapore, Nepal and France.

Wuhan is following Beijing’s SARS treatment model in 2003 to build a makeshift hospital with a capability of 1,000 beds for admitting infected patients. Construction on the facility began Thursday night. It will be completed and put into use prior to Feb. 3, less than 10 days away.

“It’s going to be another all-nighter. We need to speed up work and complete the hospital as soon as possible,” said Lyu Jun, a young truck driver at the construction site. This is his first Spring Festival away from home.

For ordinary people, this year’s Lunar New Year’s Eve lacks some gatherings but is still a time to extend greetings and wishes.

Yin Yeqiong, from Hunan Province, refunded her tickets back home after much debate. “I had it in my mind to still go home, but finally decided to stay in Wuhan,” she said. “Our stay will help reduce panic in other places.”

Liu Jie, a dough sculptor, put on a New Year costume and watched the Spring Festival Gala with his family. “We’re now at a critical period, so I texted New Year wishes to friends and relatives this year. I believe this is the best way,” he said.

Liu Jiapeng, a children’s book editor, stayed in Wuhan during the Spring Festival for the past four decades. “I always stayed with my family, and we would have every meal together,” said Liu. “But this year, I haven’t had one meal with them.”

On the day of the Lunar New Year’s Eve, he and his wife bought some goods for their parents, brought them to their house and briefly chatted. As they were waiting for the elevator, Liu looked back and saw his father standing at the windowsill, watching them leave.

Medical workers of Army Medical University assemble before leaving for Wuhan in southwest China’s Chongqing, Jan. 24, 2020. On the Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve, a group of 150 medical workers from the Army Medical University left for Wuhan, the center of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, to provide medical aid. (Xinhua)

China is mobilizing medical resources nationwide to aid Wuhan and control the epidemic. Doctors, nurses and experts from across the nation have been selected to join the battle, and manufacturers have restarted their plants to produce medical consumables that have been running short in many places.

A national research team of 14 experts, headed by renowned respiratory scientist Zhong Nanshan, has been set up to help prevent and control the outbreak on Friday.

“This is going to be an unforgettable Spring Festival,” said Chen Ying, a writer. “Because I feel that at this moment, there are so many families that I do not know, in every corner of this city, praying for our home.”

“My New Year wish is simple,” said Liu Jie. “I hope the virus will soon be conquered and everyone in Wuhan and the whole nation would be safe and healthy.”

Source: Xinhua

Posted in Army Medical University, children's book editor, China’s National Health Commission, coronavirus fight, doctors, doctors and nurses, epidemic, experts, France, Hong Kong, hubei province, Hunan Province, Japan, Lunar New Year's Eve, Macao, National Health Commission, nationwide, Nepal, New Year costume, nurses, Red Cross Society of China, Republic of Korea, SARS treatment model, Singapore, Spring Festival Gala, Taiwan, Thailand, Uncategorized, United States, Vietnam, Wuhan | Leave a Comment »

24/01/2020

China shuts part of Great Wall as virus toll hits 26

BEIJING, China (Reuters) – China ramped up measures to contain a virus that has killed 26 people and infected more than 800, suspending public transport in 10 cities, shutting temples over the Lunar New Year and even closing the Forbidden City and part of the Great Wall.

The week-long holiday to welcome the Year of the Rat began on Friday, raising fears the infection rate could accelerate as hundreds of millions of people travel to their homes and abroad in what is usually a festive time of year.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the new coronavirus an emergency for China but stopped short of declaring the epidemic of international concern.

While most of the cases and all of the deaths have been in China, the virus has been detected in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. It was likely Britain also had cases, a health official said.

RELATED COVERAGE

  • ‘What choice do I have?’ Lock-down strands millions in China’s Wuhan
  • WHO expects coronavirus cases to rise in China

The newly identified coronavirus has created alarm because it is too early to know just how dangerous it is and how easily it spreads between people.

Symptoms include fever, difficulty breathing and coughing.

Most of the fatalities have been elderly, many with pre-existing conditions, the WHO said.

Cases are likely to continue to rise in China but it is too soon to evaluate the severity of the virus, a WHO spokesman said on Friday.

As of Thursday, there were 830 confirmed cases and 26 people had died there, China’s National Health Commission said.

In Wuhan, where the outbreak began last month, pharmacies were running out of supplies and hospitals were flooded with nervous resident seeking medical checks.

“There’s so much news, so much data, every 10 minutes there’s an update, it’s frightening, especially for people like us in a severely hit area,” Lily Jin, 30, a resident of the city, told Reuters by phone.

GRAPHIC: The spread of a new coronavirus – here

Reuters Graphic

MORE RESTRICTIONS

While restrictions have already been put in place in cities across the country to curb the outbreak, China will take stricter and more targeted measures, state television reported citing a state council, or cabinet, meeting on Friday, but gave no further details.

“The spread of the virus has not been cut off … Local authorities should take more responsibility and have a stronger sense of urgency,” state broadcaster CCTV said.

Most cases have been in Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated in a market that traded illegally in wildlife. Preliminary research suggested it crossed to humans from snakes.

The city of 11 million people, and neighboring Huanggang, a city of about 7 million, were in virtual lockdown.

Nearly all flights at Wuhan’s airport had been canceled, and airports worldwide have stepped up the screening of passengers from China.

Checkpoints blocked the main roads leading out of town, and police checked incoming vehicles for wild animals.

Wuhan was rushing to build a 1,000-bed hospital for the infected by Monday, the official Changjiang Daily reported.

About 10 people got off a high-speed train that pulled into Wuhan on Friday afternoon but nobody got on before it resumed its journey. Although it stopped there, Wuhan had been removed from the train’s schedule.

“What choice do I have? It’s Chinese New Year. We have to see our family,” said a man getting off the train who gave his family name Hu.

CHINA EMERGENCY

The WHO said on Thursday it was a “bit too early” to designate the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, which would require countries to step up their response.

Some experts believe the virus is not as dangerous as the one that caused the 2002-03 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which also began in China and killed nearly 800 people, or the one that caused Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, which has killed more than 700 people since 2012.

There is no known vaccine or particular treatment.

“There is some work being done and there are some trials now for MERS (vaccines). And we may look at some point whether those treatments and vaccines would have some effect on this novel coronavirus,” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said on Friday.

Gilead Sciences Inc said it was assessing whether its experimental Ebola treatment could be used. Meanwhile, three research teams were starting work on vaccines, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations said.

In the meantime, Chinese authorities have imposed restrictions on movement and gatherings to try to stem the spread. It has advised people to avoid crowds and 10 cities in the central province of Hubei, where Wuhan is located, have suspended some transport, the Hubei Daily reported.

Some sections of the Great Wall near Beijing will be closed from Saturday, state media said.

Some temples have also closed, including Beijing’s Lama Temple where people make offerings for the new year, have also been closed as has the Forbidden City, the capital’s most famous tourist attraction.

Shanghai Disneyland will close from Saturday. The theme park has a 100,000 daily capacity and sold out during last year’s Lunar New Year holiday.

The virus is expected to dent China’s growth after months of economic worries over trade tensions with the United States, unnerving foreign companies doing business there.

Shares in luxury goods firms have suffered from the anticipated drop in demand from China, and on Friday French spirits group Remy Cointreau said it was “clearly concerned” about the potential impact.

Source: Reuters

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05/04/2019

China sees progress in online medical care service

BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) — China has made headway in promoting the initiative of Internet plus medical and health care, according to the national health authority.

An array of supporting policies have been introduced in areas such as online diagnosis and treatment, Internet hospitals and telemedical services, with 30 measures rolled out to benefit people under the initiative, the National Health Commission said in a statement.

Noting the progress in building a national platform for people’s health information, the commission said 1,273 tertiary hospitals, the highest in China’s three-tier hospital grading system, are able to share their medical service information with each other.

E-health cards, which offer access to personal health information and medical services through a QR code, have been piloted in 28 provincial-level regions, it added.

A specialized network for medical services spanning across the country and online platforms for cloud telemedical services have been established, which enables hospitals to provide telemedical services.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in China alert, National Health Commission, online medical care service, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

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