Indian school teacher becomes first foreigner to contract coronavirus in China

A 45-year-old Indian school teacher is undergoing treatment for a new strain of pneumonia outbreak spreading in Chinese cities of Wuhan and Shenzhen, becoming first foreigner to have contracted mysterious SARS-like coronavirus.

Preeti Maheshwari, a teacher at an international school in Shenzhen, has been admitted to a local hospital after she fell seriously ill last Friday.

Doctors on Monday confirmed that she was suffering from virus and is being treated for it, her husband Ashuman Khowal told PTI from Shenzhen.

virus has caused alarm because of its connection to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) which killed nearly 650 people in China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003.

Khowal, a businessman from Delhi, said Maheswari was being treated in intensive care unit and is currently on a ventilator and or supporting systems.

Khowal, who is allowed to visit patient for a few hours every day, said she was unconscious and doctors have said she could take a long time to recover.

According to reports from Wuhan, where virus started surfacing few weeks ago, 17 new cases have been reported, taking total number of cases to 62.

A total of 19 have been cured and discharged from hospital, and rest remain in isolation and are receiving treatment, state-run Xinhua news ncy reported on Sunday.

Two people in Shenzhen are currently in quarantine at Third People's Hospital, which specialises in treatment of infectious diseases, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

India on Friday issued an advisory to its nationals visiting China following a second death due to outbreak of new strain of pneumonia in Chinese city of Wuhan where over 500 Indian medical students are studying.

"An infection with a vel coronavirus has been reported from China. As on 11th January, 2020, 41 confirmed cases have been reported so far," said travel warning issued by India.

Travel-related cases have been reported one each in Thailand and Japan.

Over 500 Indian students study in Wuhan city's medical colleges in universities. But most of m appear to have left for home for Chinese New Year holidays.

clinical signs and symptoms are mainly fever with a few patients having difficulty in breathing, Indian travel warning said.

Mode of transmission is unclear as of w. However, so far re is little evidence of significant human- to-human transmission, it said.

patients showed symptoms such as fever or cough, Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said.

Epidemiological investigations into 17 new cases are underway and close contacts are being traced, authority said, adding that Wuhan will continue to expand search area, identify suspected cases and conduct sampling tests.

Epidemiological analysis of previously published cases found that some cases had exposure to Wuhan's Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which is believed to be related to most of infected cases. It has been temporarily closed while disinfection is carried out, Xinhua report said.

A total of 681 among 763 close contacts who were placed under medical observation have been released. cases were found among close contacts. PTI KJV MRJ MRJ