A TERRIFYING new virus from China is feared to have reached Australia after a man was tested for the killer mystery bug.

The man, from Brisbane, was displaying symptoms of the fatal coronavirus after returning from a family holiday and has been placed in quarantine.

17 A special thermal monitor screens passengers travelling through Malaysia Credit: AP:Associated Press

17 A Malaysian health officer screens passengers for coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Credit: AFP or licensors

17 Airline staff in Kuala Lumpur war masks while members of the public are tested Credit: AP:Associated Press

17 Hand held thermal monitors are also being used at the airport Credit: Reuters

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a travel warning after the man was isolated when he returned from a family holiday.

He is currently waiting at home to hear if he has contracted the illness which has already claimed the lives of four people.

The man had been visiting family in China's Wuhan province, which is the epicentre of the terrifying outbreak.

Mr Morrison said the government will be raising the level of travel advice for Wuhan City to level 2 — which means travellers should “exercise a high degree of caution”.

A Queensland Health spokesman said the man had recently returned from Central China with a respiratory illness.

“Because the man travelled to Wuhan, Coronavirus is one of the conditions he is being tested for,” he said. “The man will remain in isolation until his symptoms have resolved.

ISOLATION

“We urge anyone who has developed any respiratory symptoms within 14 days of travel to Wuhan to see their GP immediately.”

The state’s health department hopes to have the test results within a few days, the Courier-Mail reports.

The number of cases of “2019-nCoV”, which causes a type of pneumonia, has surpassed 220 across the globe and authorities are concerned it could spread quickly.

Chief Health Officer Brendan Murphy said the risk to Australia was low but three direct flights from Wuhan to Sydney will be met by border security, biosecurity and NSW Health staff in response to the “rapidly emerging situation”.

International airports are screening passengers for the mysterious SARS-like disease that has been confirmed as passing from human-to-human and has also jumped China’s borders.

We urge anyone who has developed any respiratory symptoms within 14 days of travel to Wuhan to see their GP immediately. Queensland Health spokesman

A video has been shared widely on Twitter showing people on a domestic flight out of the central Chinese city of Wuhan having their temperature taken one-by-one by people in protective suits.

Many of the initial cases of the coronavirus were linked to a seafood market in Wuhan, which was closed as authorities investigated.

The virus has spread around China while other international cases, all involving recent travel, have been confirmed in Thailand, South Korea and Japan.

17 Signs have been erected at Kuala Lumpur International Airport warning passengers they will be screened Credit: AFP or licensors

17 Staff speak to staff at the screening check point Credit: AP:Associated Press

17 Specialist thermal monitors are being used to check for the virus Credit: AP:Associated Press

A Brit tourist, Ash Shorley, 32, is feared to be the first western victim of the illness.

He was rushed to hospital after the bug infected both lungs while he was on Koh Phi Phi island in Thailand.

The outbreak has caused alarm because of its connection to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003.

Coronaviruses cause diseases ranging from the common cold to more severe ones such as SARS.

The Chinese government initially tried to conceal the severity of that epidemic but its cover-up was exposed by a high-ranking physician.

Initial symptoms of the novel coronavirus include fever, cough, tightness of the chest and shortness of breath, and those seriously ill developed pneumonia.

At least half a dozen Asian countries and three US airports have started screening incoming airline passengers from central China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said it was “extremely crucial” to take every possible measure to combat the disease that has infected at least 217 people in the country.

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva will convene an “emergency committee” meeting on Wednesday to determine whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, and what recommendations should be made to manage it.

Researchers had assumed that the disease jumped from animals to humans, but a recent rise in cases pointed to person-to-person transmission as well.

The head of a Chinese government expert team yesterday said human-to-human transmission has been confirmed.

A version of this story originally appeared on News.com.au.

What is coronavirus? Coronavirus is an airborne virus, spread in a similar way to colds and the flu. The virus attacks the respiratory system, causing lung lesions. Symptoms include a runny nose, headache, cough and fever, shortness of breath, chills and body aches. It is incredibly contagious and is spread through contact with anything the virus is on as well as infected breath, coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include a runny nose, headache, cough and fever, shortness of breath, chills and body aches. In most cases, you won't know whether you have a coronavirus or a different cold-causing virus, such as rhinovirus. But if a coronavirus infection spreads to the lower respiratory tract (your windpipe and your lungs), it can cause pneumonia, especially in older people, people with heart disease or people with weakened immune systems. There is no vaccine for coronavirus. In 2003 an outbreak of a similar virus, SARS, infected more than 8,000 people in 37 countries before it was brought under control, killing 800 of those worldwide.

17 Quarantine workers are today spraying disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, to prevent the advance of coronavirus now spreading in China Credit: EPA

17 Medical staff carry a box as they walk at the Jinyintan hospital, where patients with pneumonia caused by coronavirus are being treated in China Credit: Reuters

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17 The true scale of the outbreak is likely far bigger than officially reported, scientists warn Credit: AFP or licensors

17 Footage claims to show medics screening passengers on a plane to Macao from Wuhan Credit: Twitter

17 China is on high alert as crowds gather to celebrate Chinese New Year, file image Credit: AP:Associated Press

17 The medics appear to check people for the deadly coronavirus Credit: Twitter

17 Ash Shorley, 32, was rushed to hospital in Phuket after a pneumonia-style bug infected both lungs while he was on Koh Phi Phi island

17 Medics in protective suits carry a patient into Jinyintan hospital in Wuhan Credit: AFP or licensors