---
title: "WHO says new China virus could spread, it's warning all hospitals"
description: "GENEVA, Jan 14 (Reuters) - There has been \"limited\" human-to-human transmission of a new coronavirus that has struck in China, mainly small clusters in families, but there is potential for wider spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-01-14-who-says-new-china-virus-could-spread-its-warning-all-hospitals/"
published: "2020-01-14T13:58:46"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 121
---

# WHO says new China virus could spread, it's warning all hospitals

> GENEVA, Jan 14 (Reuters) - There has been "limited" human-to-human transmission of a new coronavirus that has struck in China, mainly small clusters in families, but there is potential for wider spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

By Reuters · Published 14 January 2020, 15:58 SAST

## Content

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A Chinese woman has been quarantined in Thailand with a mystery strain, authorities said on Monday, the first time it has been detected outside China. In all, 41 cases of pneumonia - a symptom of the disease - have been reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, mainly through exposure at a seafood market.

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, acting head of WHO's emerging diseases unit, told a Geneva news briefing that the agency had given guidance to hospitals worldwide about infection control in case of spread, including by a "super-spreading" event in a health care setting. "This is something on our radar, it is possible, we need to prepare ourselves," she said.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; editing by John Stonestreet)