The vast majority have been infected in the market in Wuhan. But a man in his 30s has tested positive for the virus near Tokyo, and a woman in Thailand who has also tested positive has previously been reported. Both the man and the woman have visited the Chinese city of Wuhan where the virus was first discovered.

Infection between people

According to Anders Tegnell, this virus infects from animals to humans. At the same time, there must have been cases where people in the same family infected each other.

- If the virus can infect humans, it is very ineffective to do so. We cannot expect any more widespread transmission of infection with what we know, says state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, who works at the Public Health Authority.

But Anders Tegnell does not think you need to worry about going to China.

- They have closed this market in Wuhan and they have cleaned it up properly. In addition, it has been more than a week since the last cases in China, he says.

Swedish healthcare prepared

At the same time, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that lung disease can spread and urges hospitals around the world to pay attention. Anders Tegnell says that Swedish healthcare is informed.

- If someone who has traveled to this area and gets sick then it is important for that person to tell them. Then the health care can receive and manage it, in principle, making continued spread of infection impossible, he says.

The virus is reported to be a new type of coronavirus that bears resemblance to SARS, which in 2002–2003 took 349 lives in China and 299 in Hong Kong.