Coronavirus outbreak sees Henan ban sale of live poultry

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Central China’s Henan Province has imposed a ban on sale of live poultry to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from spreading.

The virus was first identified at Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, the capital of neighbouring Hubei province.

Coronavirus, which started spreading from animals to humans, is capable of human-to-human transmission.

Many businesses use Huanan Seafood Market to sell a wide range of live animals, including poultry. The market closed on 1 January 2020.

Many details about the coronavirus are still unknown. However, medical professionals believe that live animals transmit the virus to humans.

According to CNN, the respiratory virus has led to the death of nine people. It has also left more than 440 residents of China ill.

It has also been confirmed that 15 medical workers treating the patients were also infected by the virus.

The coronavirus is part of the same family as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which claimed lives of more than 700 people in 2002 and 2003.

This week, scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US started working towards a vaccine against the coronavirus.

Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) will hold a meeting on 23 January to assess the severity and determine if it is an international health emergency.