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.