Coronavirus claims six lives, over 300 infected

A health officer screens passengers with thermal scanners at Kuala Lumpur airport on Tuesday. Pic/AFP

Beijing: At least six people have died of the new SARS-like virus in China with top leaders warning officials against any cover-up of the information on its outbreak even as the World Health Organization (WHO) is considering declaring an international public health emergency to combat the deadly illness.

The number of infected people has also increased sharply to about 300 as the government scampered to contain its spread by increasing monitoring on the movement of the public from the 12 million people strong Wuhan city from where the SARS-like virus was first reported in December.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), which is holding an emergency meeting on Wednesday, will consider declaring an international public health emergency over the virus - as it did with swine flu and Ebola, BBC reported.

Such a declaration, if made, will be seen as an urgent call for a coordinated international response in view of fears that millions of Chinese are travelling at home and abroad for the Chinese New Year and Spring Festival holidays starting from January 24. The week-long festival triggers the biggest mass migration, clogging road, rail and air networks every year.

China's National Health Commission on Monday confirmed for the first time that the infection could be transmitted from human-to-human. It said two people in Guangdong province had been infected this way.

In a separate statement, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said at least 15 medical workers in Wuhan have also been infected with the virus, with one in a critical condition. The workers presumably became infected with the virus due to the contact with patients.

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