US reports first case of Wuhan coronavirus

Passengers are screened at Kolkata airport. Countries around the world have begun introducing similar measures. Photo: AFP

An American man who recently returned from a trip to central China has been diagnosed with the new virus, making the US the fifth country to have report an infection.



The man returned to the Seattle area in the middle of last week after travelling to the Wuhan area, where the outbreak began. The man is in his 30s and is in good condition at a hospital in Everett, outside Seattle.



The US is the fifth country to report seeing the illness, following China, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea. Taiwan has also confirmed a case.



Late last week, health officials began screening passengers from central China at US airports. Officials around the world have implemented similar airport screenings in hopes of containing the virus during the busy Lunar New Year travel season.



Last month, doctors began seeing a new type of viral pneumonia - fever, cough, difficulty breathing - in people who spent time at a food market in Wuhan. Over 300 cases of the newly identified coronavirus have been confirmed in China, most of them in Wuhan, according to the World Health Organisation.



The count includes six deaths - all in China, most of them age 60 or older, including at least some who had a previous medical condition. (AP)