HPA confirms another case of novel coronavirus
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has confirmed another case of novel coronavirus (NCoV) infection in a family member of the case announced on Monday 11 February, according to an HPA press release Feb. 13.
According to health officials, the patient, the 11th confirmed case of novel coronavirus worldwide, is a UK resident that has no recent travel history.
It is reported, however, that the patient does suffer from some unspecified underlying health condition that could make a person more susceptible to a respiratory infection like this.
The patient is being treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital ICU in Birmingham.
Confirmed NCoV in a person without recent travel history indicates that infection was acquired in the UK. To date, evidence of person-to-person transmission has been limited. Although this case is suggestive of person-to-person transmission, on the basis of current evidence, the risk of sustained person-to-person transmission appears to be very low, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The case is a family member who was in close personal contact with the earlier case and who may have been at greater risk of acquiring an infection because of their underlying health condition, according to Professor John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases department at the HPA.
Watson says, “In light of this latest case we would like to emphasise that the risk associated with novel coronavirus to the general UK population remains very low. The HPA will continue to work closely with national and international health authorities and will share any further advice with health professionals and the public if and when more information becomes available.”
As of 13 February 2013, a total of 11 confirmed cases of human infection with NCoV have been notified to WHO, with no change in the number of fatalities i.e., five deaths since April 2012.
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