Coronavirus: State Health Dept issues status of passengers after screening

Bengaluru: The state health department has issued the status of passengers after their screening at the airport, in the light of the coronavirus outbreak.

As per the reports, 11 passengers were isolated at their residence and eight at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases, Bengaluru, for medical observation, while, eight new passengers have been enrolled for the observation and 19 cumulative number of passengers are under observation.

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

The virus for which there is no effective vaccine was reported on January 16 in Japan, the first case outside China and its territories.

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.