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1 [1] (February 6, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/goveazw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: * Congressional Research Service Informning the legislive debate since 1914 Updated February 6, 2020 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV): Developments in China and International Response Overview On December 31, 2019, China's government notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of patients with pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan, China. On January 7, 2020, Chinese scientists isolated a previously unknown coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the patients, and on January 12 the scientists made its genetic sequence available to WHO and international partners. By February 5, the virus had spread to every province in China and to 24 other countries (see Figure 1). As required by the International Health Regulations (IHR), a binding international law on global health security, countries are closely monitoring and reporting emergent 2019-nCoV cases. WHO is coordinating the global response; the United States is aiding as a member of WHO and through its own agencies, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (See CRS In Focus IF10022, The Global Health Security Agenda and International Health Regulations, and CRS Insight IN 11212, Another Coronavirus Emerges: U.S. Domestic Response to 2019-nCoV.) The Virus: 2019-nCoV Coronaviruses are a large family of zoonotic viruses (viruses transmissible between animals and humans) that can cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most common symptoms among confirmed 2019- nCoV patients include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The outbreak remains concentrated in China, with fewer than 200 of all cases having occurred outside of the country. Of nearly 25,000 2019-nCoV cases identified worldwide as of February 5, WHO reports more than 3,200 patients remain severely ill and almost 500 have died, with two of those deaths reported outside mainland China. Health experts are still seeking to understand the origins of the disease and its epidemiology, including the intensity of human-to-human transmission. No specific treatments or vaccines are available for 2019- nCoV. Scientists from around the world, including the United States, China, Russia, and Australia, are reportedly working to develop 2019-nCoV diagnostic tests, treatments, and vaccines. WHO has developed a disease commodity package that lists essential biomedical equipment, medicines, and supplies needed for 2019-nCoV care. The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicated in late January that a candidate vaccine for 2019-nCoV could be ready for early-stage human testing within three months, compared to the 20 months it took to begin early-state development of an investigational SARS vaccine. Developments in China In 2002-2003, China's government was widely criticized for initially covering up the SARS outbreak. Critics have faulted China for suppressing critical information about the 2019-nCoV outbreak in its early stages, too. They suggest China may have squandered a window of opportunity when an informed Wuhan populace could have potentially changed its behavior to limit the virus's spread. WHO Figure 1. Locations with Confirmed 2019-nCoV Cases Globally, as of February 5, 2020 ' OUT H KFREA NEPAL CHINA JAN INDIA tacaau Taiwmn Hong Kong* THAIAND PHILIPPINES cAraNIA -VIETNAM .ANKA MALAYSIA SINGAPORE *SpeciaJAdministraive Regions ofChina U Locations with Confirmed 2019-nCoV Cases Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/locations-confirmed-cases.html. https://crsreports.congress.gov [IF!' s 'bei F' nce

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