Shanghai, 6th January: China had a bumpy year in 2019 with the on-going trade war with the U.S. and the political protests in Hong Kong. Now in early 2020, a new, potentially serious and disruptive health crisis appears to be emerging in Wuhan.

On 5th January, health officials in China confirmed that 59 individuals had been infected by the so-called ‘mysterious viral pneumonia.’ China claims that the viral disease is not Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - the contagious, flu-like virus that killed hundreds of people during an outbreak in 2003. Chinese health officials also stated that virus was also not related to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

There have been no deaths to date, but dozens of individuals have been hospitalised. The origin of the virus remains unknown, but the infections began with workers at a seafood market in Wuhan in Hubei province. The World Health Organisation stated that all patients had been treated in quarantine.