China's Mysterious Virus Has Been Confirmed in Japan

A SARS-like coronavirus that first emerged in China has officially reached Japan, officials said Thursday.

It seems to be the second time the radical coronavirus has been detected outside China after the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed a case in Thailand.

Japan's health ministry said a man who had visited the Chinese city of Wuhan, got hospitalized on January 10, four days after his return to Japan. He mentioned a recurrent fever.

Tests at the patient, who was released from the hospital on Wednesday, showed he became infected with the new virus.

"This is the first domestic discovery of a pneumonia case related to the brand new coronavirus," Japan's health ministry said a statement.

"We will continue [vigorous] epidemiological studies and coordinating efforts with the World Health Organization and related partnerships to conduct a risk assessment."

Just 41 cases of novel coronavirus (nCoV) were confirmed in China, of which seven are severely ill. A 61-year-old man died of heart failure after contracting the virus, but no new infections were found since January 8. A seafood marketplace in Wuhan was the center of the outbreak, according to the authorities.

Japanese government stated the person had not visited the marketplace. It added that the patient might have interacted with a person infected with the virus while in Wuhan.

An outbreak in Japan 'unlikely.'

The risk of the sickness spreading from the patient was considered low, according to Health Ministry official Eiji Hinoshita. People who have been in near touch with the patient needs cautious laboratory exams.

"At this point, we feel it's far unlikely this could lead to a dramatic outbreak," he stated, including that the patient was not struggling a fever and turned into improving at home.

Officials declined to provide further facts on the man, including his nationality due to privacy concerns.

The patient, according to reports, was a Chinese local in his 30s living in Kanagawa - just southwest of Tokyo.

Public broadcaster NHK said the patient had already recovered and was resting at home, as quarantine officers at Tokyo's Narita airport boosted health checks on all travelers.

The fitness ministry urged folks who develop a cough or fever after touring Wuhan to put on a surgical mask and "swiftly visit a scientific institution."

Hinoshita stated Japan would want to be on guard ahead of the Lunar New Year, a well-known Chinese tradition. He said Japan would expect more visitors from China during that event.

It isn't yet clear yet whether the virus might be transmitted between humans; however, authorities said Wednesday it might be possible to spread among a circle of relatives.

The woman identified in Thailand, who is in a stable condition, said she did not visit the Wuhan seafood market.

WHO physician Maria Van Kerkhove on Tuesday stated she "would not be amazed if there changed into a few restricted human-to-human transmission, particularly among households who have close contact with one another."

Hong Kong authorities on Tuesday stated numerous people had been hospitalized with fever or respiratory symptoms after traveling to Wuhan, but no cases of the brand new virus have been showed just yet.