CDC: Avoid All Nonessential Travel to China Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

By Kelly Young

Edited by Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD

The CDC upgraded its travel advisory for China on Monday to caution against all nonessential travel to the country as it battles the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

For people who feel they need to travel to China, the CDC recommends discussing travel plans with their clinician; avoiding contact with people who are ill; avoiding animals, animal markets, and uncooked meat; and washing hands frequently and thoroughly.

As of Monday, 16 countries reported confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV infection. The U.S. reported a total of 110 people under investigation in 26 states; so far, five of these have tested positive, and 32 have tested negative.

In other coronavirus news:

• The CDC has posted a protocol for a diagnostic test using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

• CDC officials said there was no evidence that 2019-nCoV could survive on goods exported from China.

• The World Health Organization offers advice for exit screenings in countries with ongoing transmission as well as entry screening for other countries.

In HIV and ID Observations, Dr. Paul Sax compares the pace of dissemination of information on this outbreak with the pace during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus outbreak of 2002–3.