India has reported its first confirmed case of novel coronavirus in Thrissur district of Kerala. The patient is a student studying in Wuhan University, China and had recently returned to India.

In a statement, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of India said, "The patient has tested positive for novel coronavirus and is in isolation in the hospital. The patient is stable and is being closely monitored."

The 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic that has concerned health experts worldover started in China's Wuhan city early December last year and has claimed more than 170 lives.

Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja said 20 samples were sent for tests out of which one was found to be positive for novel coronavirus.

"The patient had returned from Wuhan in China and is now kept in isolation at General Hospital in Thrissur. She is stable," the minister said, adding that the state government has already set up a control room.

"We have directed all hospitals, including private ones, to monitor patients coming with similar symptoms (of coronavirus). The health department is all set to isolate patients and start treatment," Shailaja said.

Meanwhile, responding to the developments, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, "It is an unfortunate turn of events. One case is positive and we have one more test to do. We are taking adequate measures. We have dealt with an outbreak like this before. We have to take precautionary measures because it spreads from person to person."

In Kerala, one person each from Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Malappuram and three from Ernakulam district have been kept in isolation wards of various helath centres, news agency PTI reported.

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As a precautionary measure, health authorities in India have placed many people under medical watch. Various airports in the country have started screening passengers arriving from China for symptoms of coronavirus infection.

News agency Reuters reported that a senior Indian government official said bringing Indian nationals from Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus, was not the best option due to the risk of infection but increased pressure from the citizens, most of them students, and their parents had forced them to keep an aircraft on standby.

This week, India readied a state-carrier airplane to travel to Wuhan but was waiting for a nod from Chinese authorities who were trying to sequence the whole evacuation process.

"Only those nationals who don't have the virus will be airlifted, they will be brought into a quarantine facility outside Delhi," the official said, requesting anonymity.

Demands from South Asian nationals intensified after countries such as the United States and Japan began pulling out their nationals.

WHAT IS 2019-NOVEL CORONAVIRUS?

The 2019-novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV is a new strain of cornoviruses and has not been previously seen in humans. Cornoviruses form a large family of viruses and the illness they cause can range from common cold to more severe diseases such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

These viruses are zoonotic, which means they are transmitted from animals to humans.

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While the exact source (i.e. the animal from which it started) of 2019-nCoV is yet to be identified, other strains of coronoviruses have previously been seen to be transmitted from civet cats to humans (in the case of SARS-CoV) and from dromedary camels to humans (in the case of MERS-CoV).

These aren't the only form of coronaviruses. There are many that circulate among animals but have not yet infected humans.

WHAT CAN 2019-nCoV DO?

Since this is the first time 2019-nCoV is reported to have infected humans, there is limited information on the exact range of illness the virus can cause. Its effects can range from cough and fever to kidney failure and even death.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has listed the following common signs observed in people infected by 2019-novel coronavirus:

Fever

Cough

Shortness of breath and breathing difficulties

Pneumonia

Severe acute respiratory syndrome

Kidney failure

Death

PRECAUTIONS YOU MUST TAKE

Much remains to be known about how exactly the 2019-nCoV infection transmits between humans and animals, and the extent of human-to-human transmissions.

The WHO has issued an advisory to reduce risk among those travelling from or to the affected regions.

As per WHO, you should observe the following precautions:

Avoid close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections

Wash hands frequently, especially if there is a direct contact will ill people or exposure to their environment

Avoid close contact with live or dead farm and wild animals

If you have symptoms of acute respiratory infection, you should practice cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover cough and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing and wash hands).

If you are visiting a live animal market, a wet market or any animal product market, practice general hygiene like regular hand washing with soap and potable water after touching animals and animal products.

Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with hands and avoid any contact with sick animals or spoiled animal products.

Avoid consuming raw or undercooked animal products and handle raw meat and milk with care.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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