The Novel Coronavirus has claimed over 80 deaths in Wuhan, China where it originated.
The US has 5 confirmed cases including one in Chicago.
Coronaviruses are common viruses that most people get.
They’re normally just and a cold.
SIU Director of Student Health Services Dr. Ted Grace says the Novel Coronavirus is different.
“About every ten years one of them becomes mutated, sometimes through being introduced to a animal host.”
Dr. Grace says this outbreak is similar to SARS in 2003 and MERS in 2012, but this one has a lower mortality rate.
Illinois has one confirmed case in Chicago, but Dr. Grace says steps are being taken to prevent the virus from spreading.
“The ones that are occurring are being regularly placed in isolation, many of them in hospitals.”
Locally the risk is very minimal to catch the Novel Coronavirus.
“We just want people to you know not be overly afraid about this because it still is not affected our community and it’s a relatively unusual infection.”
To protect yourself the CDC recommends avoiding close contact with people that are sick, washing hands often with soap and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
