Beijing: A US travel warning telling citizens to avoid China has upset the Asian nation's leaders, as the death toll from the coronavirus epidemic reached 213.

Russia, Britain, Sweden and Italy all reported their first cases, while a national emergency was declared in Italy as officials sought to reconstruct the itinerary of two infected Chinese tourists.

"Do not travel to China due to novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan," the US State Department said, raising the warning for China to the same level as Afghanistan and Iraq.

China's foreign ministry called that move "truly mean" given the World Health Organisation (WHO) had commended the country's containment efforts and not recommended travel or trade curbs.