There’s no evidence you can spread the Wuhan coronavirus before showing symptoms, but one study suggests it’s possible for children and young people to be infectious without ever having symptoms.
All the cases so far are among people who have recently arrived from China.
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Four people in Australia have tested positive to the Wuhan coronavirus so far. So how does it spread, who is most at risk, and what is Australia doing to reduce transmission?
The virus seems to spread like any other respiratory illness – through coughs and sneezes, or contact with contaminated surfaces. Here’s what we know about it so far.
Chinese cobra (Naja atra) with hood spread.
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A new coronavirus related to SARS and MERS has now traveled from China to the United States. A genetic analysis reveals that this deadly pathogen may have originated in snakes.
Researchers examine materials collected from a Chinese woman to find the cause of her mysterious pneumonia symptoms, at Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, South Korea, 09 January 2020.
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Ririn Ramadhany, National Institute of Health Research and Development (NIHRD), Ministry of Health Indonesia
Genetic analysis indicates novel coronavirus from Wuhan has a 89% similarity to the SARS virus, a relative of the SARS bat virus. However this does not mean nCoV comes from bats.
Bacteriophages infecting a bacterial cell.
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Norovirus, the winter vomiting bug, is highly infectious among people in confined places – like cruise ships. But not everyone is equally vulnerable. Your blood type may determine if you get sick.
The CDC just released a list of bacteria and fungi that pose, or have the potential to pose, a serious health threat. Here are four strategies for curbing the rise of these superbugs.
A spiny lobster peeking out of an underwater shelter.
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Spiny lobsters with deadly PaV1 virus are found in seagrass habitats more than any other - but the seagrass may actually be helping to combat the disease.
When people get sick, they often suspect bacteria and viruses as the cause. But now the CDC is asking physicians and patients to consider another culprit: fungi.
Industrial vaccine production has enabled mass vaccination campaigns that have reduced infectious diseases.
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A challenge in eradicating polio comes from a version of the vaccine itself, which relies on live but attenuated virus. Rationally designing a new vaccine could help get rid of polio once and for all.
When you’re feeling sick, your immune system is fighting to get you well again.
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The white blood cells act as an army of fighting cells, protecting your body from bad cells known as germs. White blood cells can capture germs and even swallow them.
Monkeypox is very contagious and there is no cure. But the good news is the body can heal itself from the virus. Singapore is the first in Asia, where the monkey smallpox virus has infected humans.
Director, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital and Consultant Physician, Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital and Monash University, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity