Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 29 January 2020

U.S. beefs up screening of travelers for new virus from China

By LAURAN NEERGAARD around the country and
and RICARDO ALONSO- at two border crossings, in
ZALDIVAR El Paso, Texas, and San Di-
Associated Press ego.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. The State Department has
health officials offered a re- also chartered a plane to
ality check Tuesday about evacuate diplomats from
the scary new virus from the U.S. Consulate in Wu-
China: They're expanding han, the city where the out-
screenings of international break started, and some
travelers and taking other other Americans.
precautions but for now, Asked if those evacuees
they insist the risk to Ameri- would be quarantined,
cans is very low. Azar said there will be doc-
"At this point Americans tors on the flight to check
should not worry for their all the passengers so health
own safety," Health and officials can decide if addi-
Human Services Secretary tional steps are needed.
Alex Azar told reporters With an incubation period
Tuesday. of anywhere from two to 14
China has confirmed more days, travelers may arrive
than 4,500 people with the showing no symptoms. But
respiratory illness, which in CDC's Dr. Nancy Messon-
severe cases can cause nier said the screenings are
pneumonia, with dozens Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks at a news conference about the an opportunity to educate
federal government's response to a virus outbreak originating in China, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020,
more counted in other in Washington. Standing alongside Azar are National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases travelers that if they start
countries. In the U.S. so far, Director Anthony Fauci, from left, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert feeling sick — with a fever,
there are five confirmed Redfield and National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease Director Nancy Messonnier. cough or flu-like symptoms
patients, all of whom had Associated Press — after returning from an
traveled to the hardest-hit outbreak zone, they should
part of China — and no sign —How easily does it by a coworker from China swer those questions. On contact their doctor. That's
that they have spread the spread? One way to mea- who briefly visited for a Tuesday, the World Health exactly what the first U.S.
illness to anyone around sure that is an estimate of company training session Organization said it hopes patients did.
them. how many people could and didn't report feeling ill to send in international ex- Azar said he has directed
Still, "this is a very fast-mov- catch an infection from until her flight home. Later perts soon. $105 million to fight the
ing, constantly changing one contagious patient. authorities confirmed three Without a vaccine or treat- outbreak. Among the next
situation," Azar added. Some reports have sug- additional cases from the ments, the world is depend- steps, the CDC developed
Flanked by the govern- gested that number might German company, all con- ing on tried-and-true public a test for the virus and aims
ment's top infection spe- be between 1.5 and 3.5 for nected to the first. health steps to tamp down to make it usable by state
cialists, Azar listed the big- the new coronavirus, but Some viruses, such as the the outbreak — finding the health departments, to
gest unanswered questions Azar stressed it's too soon to flu, can spread before infected early and isolating speed diagnosis of suspect-
of the outbreak and tried know. For comparison, one symptoms are obvious. them to stem the spread. ed cases. Research also is
to tamp down some of the patient with measles could But there's no evidence it's In the U.S., the CDC is beef- under way to develop a
fear and speculation pro- spread it to 12 to 18 others, happened with the new vi- ing up its checks of incom- vaccine or treatment.
voked by China's rising toll: he added. rus in the U.S., where health ing travelers. It already had Airport screenings were ini-
—How deadly is this new —What about silent car- officials are checking con- been screening for illness tially done in New York, Los
virus? China's death toll riers? Reports from China tacts of the sick. And epi- among passengers arriving Angeles, San Francisco,
has passed 100 but the suggest some people may demics are driven by the from the epicenter of Chi- Chicago and Atlanta. That
first patients counted in an have spread the virus be- openly sick, said Dr. Antho- na's outbreak at five U.S. has been expanded to An-
outbreak "are naturally the fore showing symptoms. ny Fauci, infectious disease airports. But people who've chorage, Alaska; Boston;
most severe cases" and And Germany on Tuesday chief of the National Insti- visited other parts of China Dallas; Detroit; El Paso, Tex-
"skew our understanding," said a man with the virus tutes of Health. still may be arriving, with as; Honolulu; Houston, Mi-
Azar cautioned. Over time, near Munich never trav- Still, the Centers for Dis- stops in other places first. ami, Minneapolis; Newark,
if doctors find many more eled to China or had close ease Control and Preven- Now, CDC is sending extra New Jersey; Philadelphia;
people had just a mild, contact with anyone show- tion wants to send its own staff to other "quarantine San Diego; Seattle; Wash-
cold-like illness, the death ing symptoms. Instead, he scientists to visit China for stations" to screen arriv- ington, D.C. (Dulles); and
rate will change. may have been infected a first-hand look try to an- als at a total of 18 airports San Juan, Puerto Rico.q