Fears of virus as traveller falls ill

ONE man is in isolation at a Brisbane home over fears he may have contracted the deadly coronavirus while in China.

Queensland’s chief medical officer Dr Jeannette Young confirmed yesterday the man had been tested for the illness but the results were still unknown.

An Australian doctor ordered the tests when the man presented with flu-like symptoms after returning home from visiting the city of Wuhan.

The virus has killed at least four people and infected about 220 in Asia after the outbreak was detected in December.

Anyone who has returned from China with respiratory issues should go straight to their doctor, Dr Young said as she urged vigilance.

“There is no vaccine for this virus and we don’t see one on the horizon,” Dr Young said.

Earlier yesterday the nation’s chief medical office said the risk posed to Australians by a new strain of coronavirus infecting hundreds of people across the world was low.

“There is no need for alarm and the risk to the Australian public from this novel coronavirus remains relatively low,” Professor Brendan Murphy told reporters yesterday, “although we do need to keep a precautionary and active surveillance of the situation.”

Wuhan, the sprawling capital of central China’s Hubei province, is the epicentre of the coronavirus.

There are three direct flights a week from Wuhan into Sydney.

Each of these flights will be met by biosecurity staff from tomorrow.

Information will be displayed across other points of entry into Australia to warn people who develop symptoms to seek medical attention. Australian authorities will also work with the Chinese media to get the message across.

THERE IS NO NEED FOR ALARM AND THE RISK TO THE AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC FROM THIS CORONAVIRUS REMAINS RELATIVELY LOW

BRENDAN MURPHY

Prof Murphy said screening was reliant on people self-reporting. The virus’ most common symptom is a high fever but he said measures like screening for temperature had only been partially effective in the past.

“They missed a large number of cases,” he said.

The health department was also working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to consider updating advice for Australians travelling to Wuhan.

He said the current number of confirmed cases was probably an underestimate with confirmed cases in other parts of China, as well as Japan, Thailand and South Korea.