Health officials around the world are racing to gauge the danger posed by a new SARS-like virus that emerged in central China last month and spread rapidly, sickening hundreds and killing at least six.
Authorities are acting aggressively as the number of cases in China has grown to more than 300 and stretched to five additional countries, including the first diagnosis in the U.S. The World Health Organization will decide Wednesday whether to declare the virus an international public health emergency, a designation used for complex epidemics that can cross borders.
As they did during the SARS and Ebola outbreaks, health officials and scientists are tracking patients and testing samples of saliva and other fluids to determine the exact cause and severity of their ailments. They’re identifying and monitoring people with whom the patients were in contact to see if the virus is spreading easily from person to person. And they are placing restrictions on travel to try to limit the exposure to scores of new peop...
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