A regional virus outbreak in China has morphed into a global scare that now threatens countries all across the world. Cases in America have skyrocketed, with 22 states now being monitored by the Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC is watching a total of 63 potential instances of the Wuhan virus across the nearly two dozen states, CNBC reports.

So far, only two cases have been confirmed in America -- in Washington state and Illinois. The CDC has not identified what other states might be impacted.

Officials are expecting a spike in cases as symptoms from potential infections manifest.

“This is a rapidly changing situation, both abroad and domestically,” the director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, told Scientific American.

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“We are expecting more cases in the U.S. and we are likely going to see some cases among close contacts of travelers and human-to-human transmission.”

Further complicating the CDC's response is the fact that some people infected with the virus have dropped dead without ever running a fever. It's important to note that checkpoints at American airports are largely attempting to isolate the infected by scanning for high temperatures.

Without a fever or other obvious symptoms, it's possible for an infected person to enter the country and spread the virus before realizing anything is wrong.

While the coronavirus' spread in America seems to be minor so far, China is not faring as well as the United States.

The communist government appears to be attempting to quarantine their way out of trouble, and now more than 40 million people sit in cities shuttered by travel restrictions.

Even in areas that have not been swarmed by the virus, holidays have been canceled and certain tourist sites are now shut down.

Though China still claims the number of infected people is in the hundreds, expert models are casting doubt on the Communist Party's official numbers.

The Imperial College London projected last week that thousands in Wuhan city alone were infected with the deadly coronavirus. Given the time that has passed since its first assessment, there's no telling how many people now carry the virus.

While the mortality rate remains relatively low, full disclosure from the Chinese government complicates any accurate assessment of the virus.

So far, only those with previous health issues and the elderly seem to be the most at risk.

There's no cause for alarm in the United States now, but this outbreak is a dangerous situation that our leaders are doing well to take notice of.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.