A new mysterious coronavirus that has infected hundreds of people in China has health officials from around the world watching the situation unfold and monitoring for the disease. Although the risk to Ontario is considered very low, “the Thunder Bay Health Unit is monitoring the situation closely,” Diana Gowanlock, manager of infectious diseases.
Gowanlock notes so much of the information they’ve received has changed rapidly including the new detail that the disease has been spread from human to human interaction.
The new illness that is related to SARS that hit Toronto in the early 2000s was recently reported in a person in Washington that had travelled from China.
“People do travel but over the years there have been a number of good programs put in place to find and screen people for illnesses,” Gowanlock explained.
You can read more about the disease through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
