Many countries have stepped up screening of passengers from Wuhan, in the wake of the new SARS-like virus that has already killed 17 people in China. Here's what we know so far about the virus
Doctors at the University of Hong Kong published an initial paper on Tuesday modelling the spread of the virus which estimated that there have been about 1,343 cases in Wuhan - similar to a projection of 1,700 last week by scientists at Imperial College, London.Compared with SARS, the symptoms appear to be less aggressive, and experts say the death toll is still relatively low.
Cases have so far been confirmed in Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Macau and the United States. The Chinese government announced Tuesday it was classifying the outbreak in the same category as SARS, meaning compulsory isolation for those diagnosed with the disease and the potential to implement quarantine measures on travel.As the number of confirmed deaths and infections has risen, so has concern worldwide about the disease spreading to other countries.
In Hong Kong, authorities have said they are on high alert, carrying out scans at the city's airport - one of the world's busiest - and at other international land and sea crossing points.The United States had also ordered the screening of passengers arriving on direct or connecting flights from Wuhan, including at airports in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
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