Britain advises anyone not to travel to Wuhan in China after the outbreak of the new influenza virus corona. It announced the country's foreign ministry on Wednesday.

"Given the latest medical information, where it has emerged that infection occurs from person to person, and the Chinese authorities' own advice, we advise against all unnecessary trips to Wuhan," the British Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The number of deaths so far amounts to 17 people and over 540 cases of the virus have been confirmed.

In an effort to avoid panic before the Chinese New Year, the country's communist government has provided regular updates.