Japan confirms second coronavirus case

January 27, 2020 | 21:23

(0) user say

Japan's health ministry said on Friday (Jan 24) it had confirmed the country's second case of a novel coronavirus strain, in a man who travelled from the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Passengers who arrived on one of the last flights from the Chinese city of Wuhan walk through a health screening station at Narita airport in Chiba prefecture, outside Tokyo, Japan. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP)

In a statement, the ministry said the man in his 40s was a resident of the Chinese city where the outbreak began and arrived in Japan on Jan 19.

He reported having had a fever for several days before his arrival but said that his condition had stabilised by the time of his arrival in Japan.

On Jan 22, he reported a fever and he is now in a Tokyo hospital receiving treatment, the ministry said.

The statement added that the man denied having visited the market in Wuhan identified as the source of the outbreak, and said he had worn a medical mask while travelling.

The case was confirmed just over a week after Japanese authorities reported the country's first incidence of the new virus that has killed 18 and infected hundreds of others.

The outbreak has prompted China to effectively quarantine some 20 million people, but the World Health Organization said on Thursday that the disease did not yet constitute a global health emergency.

AFP

What the stars mean:

★ Poor ★ ★ Promising ★★★ Good ★★★★ Very good ★★★★★ Exceptional