By Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that preliminary tests have excluded flu, avian flu or adenovirus infections as possible causes of a pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China, that was first reported last week. CDC officials are boarding all flights from Wuhan to Taiwan — 12 flights per week — to check whether passengers or crew have symptoms indicating a possible case of the disease, the agency said. CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that the Chinese government has excluded flu, avian flu and adenovirus as possible causes, but it had not ruled out other novel viruses, such as a coronavirus. Forty-four people had been diagnosed with the illness as of Friday, with 11 in a critical condition, Chinese government data showed. A total of 121 people who have had direct contact with patients are being observed, the data showed.

Source: Taipei Times January 04, 2020 15:56 UTC