A SUSSEX MP attended a meeting alongside a person who has since been diagnosed with coronavirus, reports say.

Wealden MP Nusrat Ghani was a speaker the UK Bus Summit at the QEII Centre in Westminster on February 6.

The event also hosted about 250 delegates from the nationwide bus and transport industry.

But Transport Times, the conference organiser, emailed attendees on Thursday afternoon informing them that a person confirmed to be suffering from coronavirus illness – also known as Covid-19 – had been at the event.

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The Transport Times email included a letter from Public Health England telling delegates that no action needed to be taken if they were feeling well.

But it advised people to stay indoors, avoid contact with others and call NHS 111 if they developed symptoms such as a fever or cough.

Dr Yimmy Chow, consultant in health protection at PHE, said: "One of our main priorities has been to identify any people who we think have been in close contact with confirmed cases of Covid-19 to provide public health advice, as they may be at slightly increased risk of catching the virus.

"While the degree of contact conference delegates may have had with the case is unlikely to have been significant, we have taken a precautionary approach and informed them of the situation."

Five people have tested positive for coronavirus in the Brighton area, the first being a Hove man who travelled back to the area following a business trip to Singapore and a holiday in France.

He returned to the city on January 29.

The Department of Health says more than 2,500 patients have been tested for coronavirus overall, with nine cases confirmed in the UK.

A spokesman for Healthwatch Brighton and Hove said: "Advice from the NHS continues to be that the risk to individuals remains low.

"Most people who are infected are likely to fully recover – just as they would from a flu.

"NHS services are open as usual across Sussex and measures are in place to ensure the safety of all patients and NHS staff while also ensuring services are available to the public as normal.

"If you have recently travelled from a high-risk area and / or develop a fever, cough or shortness of breath, please do not leave your home and call NHS 111 immediately."

Coronavirus causes "severe acute respiratory infection".

Symptoms of the illness "usually start with a fever, followed by a dry cough".

The spokesman said: "Generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease."