A DEADLY new virus which has killed six people in China is one of the “newest and biggest global health threats”, an expert has warned.
Scientists are frantically working on a vaccine to stop the spread of Wuhan coronavirus – but say it could be more than a year before it’s available.
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More than 200 people have been infected with the virus since it emerged a few weeks ago – and it’s been confirmed it can spread from person to person.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has taken the first steps towards developing a shot, according to CNN.
But Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said it would take a few months until the first phase of the clinic trials.
It could then take more than a year until a vaccine is made available, he added.
The lesson we’ve learned is coronavirus infections are serious and one of the newest and biggest global health threats
Dr Peter Hotez
Dr Peter Hotez, a vaccine scientist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said a team of scientists in Texas, New York and China, are also working on a vaccine.
He told the broadcaster: “The lesson we’ve learned is coronavirus infections are serious and one of the newest and biggest global health threats.”
Dr Hotez added that it’s less challenging to develop a vaccine for coronaviruses than for other viruses, including HIV or flu.
He said: “Every virus has its challenges, but coronaviruses can be a relatively straightforward vaccine target.”
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The expert explained that if a vaccine is developed it will most likely be given to healthcare workers first as they’re exposed to infected patients.
Dr Hotez also described it as “remarkable” that they were already working on a vaccine for a virus that was identified less than a month ago.
Chinese authorities say that so far the number of confirmed cases is 291, but experts believe the true figure could be far higher.
Every virus has its challenges, but coronaviruses can be a relatively straightforward vaccine target
Dr Peter Hotez
Scientists from Imperial College London suggest that based on incidences of the virus, at least 1,700 people could have been infected in Wuhan.
Since the virus was first detected in China at the end of December, cases have been reported in Japan, Thailand, Philippines and South Korea.
Experts warn the number of cases are expected to rise as Chinese New Year celebrations get under way this weekend.
Emergency talks
It comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) is due to hold emergency talks tomorrow to determine whether the outbreak constitutes a global public health emergency.
The new strain belongs to a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
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The common early signs of infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, according to WHO.
In more severe cases, it can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
Mystery virus
The origin of the virus has yet to be identified, but Chinese officials have linked the outbreak to a seafood market in Wuhan.
However, officials now believe it has mutated, allowing it to be transmitted from person to person – which could make the virus spread more rapidly and more widely.
Human transmission is most commonly spread through the air by coughing or sneezing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It comes as a man, from Brisbane, was placed in quarantine after displaying signs of the killer bug following a family holiday in Wuhan.
Meanwhile, a Brit tourist, Ash Shorley, 32, is feared to be the first western victim of the illness.
He was rushed to hospital after the bug infected both lungs while he was on Koh Phi Phi island in Thailand.
NHS chiefs have warned that the bug could reach Britain – and doctors are said to be on high alert.
