Updated January 28, 2020, 8:05 a.m.
The corona virus has so far mainly spread to China. There are already dozens of fatalities and thousands of people infected. Confirmed diseases are also known in Europe – there is now a first documented case in Germany.
Is in for the first time Germany an infection with the novel coronavirus been confirmed. A man from the district of Starnberg in Bavaria was infected with the pathogen, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Munich late Monday evening. The virus can trigger a lung disease from which more than 100 people have died in the main distribution country China – most of which were elderly patients with serious previous illnesses.
Patient is “medically monitored and isolated”
The patient in Bavaria According to the “Task Force Infectiology” of the State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) is clinically in good condition, as it said in the announcement. “He is under medical supervision and is isolated.” The spokesman initially did not provide any further information about the man.
The Bavarian Ministry of Health and the LGL want to inform the public at a press conference on Tuesday morning. “Then there is an opportunity for questions from the media,” it said.
The ministry spokesman emphasized: “The risk for the Bavarian population to become infected with the new corona virus is currently considered low by the” Task Force Infectious Diseases “of the LGL and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).” People who had close contact with the patient would be informed in detail and informed about possible symptoms, hygiene measures and transmission routes.
The German Hospital Society said doctors and clinics were prepared for the virus. “Hospitals and doctors are sensitized,” said CEO Georg Baum of the “Rheinische Post”. In patients who complain of acute cold symptoms and recently in China were, “a targeted medical history is carried out”. If the suspicion cannot be resolved, the patient is isolated in a hospital, tested for the virus and examined closely.
In Europe three infections with the novel virus had previously been detected. All three concerned people in France who had previously been to China.
The total number of diseases rises to over 4,500
The total number of known diseases worldwide has risen to over 4,500 after Chinese state television reported a jump of more than 1,700 cases on Tuesday compared to the previous day. In the particularly severely affected province of Hubei alone, there were also 24 other fatalities, so that at least 106 people across the country had died of the lung disease.
The new virus 2019-nCoV originally probably comes from a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where it probably jumped from humans to wild animals traded there. There is no protective vaccination or special therapy to treat the disease. The symptoms – including dry cough, fever and shortness of breath – can be alleviated with medication.
According to the current assessment of experts, the novel lung disease appears to be mild in most cases, possibly even without symptoms. According to current knowledge, most of the deaths registered in China go back to older and already severely weakened patients.
New pathogen is very similar to the Sars epidemic virus
The new pathogen is very similar to the virus behind the 2002/2003 Sars epidemic. At that time, according to data from the World Health Organization, there were nine records in Germany between November 2002 and July 2003. There were no deaths here.
China has taken drastic measures in the fight against further expansion: in Hubei, more than 45 million people have largely been isolated from the outside world. Long-distance and local traffic have been stopped.
Because of the lung disease, more and more countries want to bring their nationals back from the regions most affected, such as Great Britain and Belgium, Japan, France and the USA. The Federal Government is also considering fleeing Germans willing to leave China. A possible evacuation would be considered, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) said on Monday before the confirmed case from Bavaria became known.
So far there have only been suspected cases in Germany. Some federal states have taken additional security measures, for example at airports. Pandemic and handling plans made it clear what to do in the event of an incident at the airports and at the clinics, said Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU). (Mgb / dpa / afp)
After the infection of at least three people with the novel coronavirus in France, the patients are in good shape. The first cases occurred in China. A case has now also been confirmed in Canada.
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Teaser image: © Christophe Gateau / dpa
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