Using the logic implied by your article suggests that any disease encountered in the following cities should immediately be blamed on the BSL-4 labs; skipping over available science on the subject.
Atlanta , GA
Galveston, TX
San Antonio, TX
Hamilton, MT
Fredrick, MD
Manhattan, KS
Boston, MA
Richmond, VA
https://fas.org/programs/bio/research.htmlThe issue is moot. The virus is out and humans are hosts.
Nature has plenty of surprises waiting for us.------------------------------
Researchers Trace Coronavirus Outbreak in China to Snakeshttps://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-01-coronavirus-outbreak-china-snakes.htmlThe study notes that patients who became infected with the virus—which is a type of virus called a coronavirus and was named 2019-nCoV by the World Health Organization—were exposed to wildlife animals at a wholesale market, where seafood, poultry, snake, bats, and farm animals were sold.
By conducting a detailed genetic analysis of the virus and comparing it with available genetic information on different viruses from various geographic locations and host species, the investigators concluded that the 2019-nCoV appears to be a virus that formed from a combination of a coronavirus found in bats and another coronavirus of unknown origin. The resulting virus developed a mix or "recombination" of a viral protein that recognizes and binds to receptors on host cells. Such recognition is key to allowing viruses to enter host cells, which can lead to infection and disease.
Finally, the team uncovered evidence that the 2019-nCoV likely resided in snakes before being transmitted to humans. Recombination within the viral receptor-binding protein may have allowed for cross-species transmission from snake to humans.
Wei Ji et al, Homologous recombination within the spike glycoprotein of the newly identified coronavirus may boost cross‐species transmission from snake to human, Journal of Medical Virology (2020).
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jmv.25682 Guangxiang (George) Luo et al. Global Health Concern Stirred by Emerging Viral Infections, Journal of Medical Virology (2020)
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jmv.25683 ---------------------------------
First Clinical Studies Find Wuhan Virus Closely Resembles SARShttps://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-01-clinical-wuhan-virus-resembles-sars.htmlThe new coronavirus rapidly spreading in China and nearby countries seems to trigger symptoms similar to those seen in the severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (SARS) coronavirus outbreak in 2003, two new studies show.
... Similar to the 2003 SARS outbreak in China, most patients who came down with the Wuhan coronavirus were healthy, without any chronic underlying health issues. And symptoms also resembled those of SARS, said Chinese researchers led by Bin Cao, from the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and Capital Medical University, both in Beijing.
All of the hospitalized patients had developed pneumonia, nearly all (98%) had a fever, three-quarters developed a cough, 44% felt fatigued, and 55% had some shortness of breath. Symptoms such as headache or diarrhea were rare, however.
Severe illness—enough to require admittance to the ICU—occurred in about a third of the hospitalized patients, Cao's team said, and six patients died.
A condition involving immune system dysfunction known as a "cytokine storm" occurred in some of these very ill patients, but it's not yet clear how the new virus affects the immune system, the researchers said....
"Because asymptomatic infection appears possible, controlling the epidemic will also rely on isolating patients, tracing and quarantining contacts as early as possible, educating the public on both food and personal hygiene, and ensuring health care workers comply with infection control."https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2759815?guestAccessKey=da12c4d9-bed5-4c36-88cf-4db717115947&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=012320---------------------------------
Marburg Virus Found in Sierra Leone Batshttps://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-01-marburg-virus-sierra-leone.htmlScientists have detected Marburg virus in fruit bats in Sierra Leone, marking the first time the deadly virus has been found in West Africa. Eleven Egyptian rousette fruit bats tested positive for active Marburg virus infection. Research teams caught the bats separately in three health districts.
The presence of Marburg virus, a close relative to Ebola virus that also causes hemorrhagic disease in people, was detected in advance of any reported cases of human illness in Sierra Leone. However, the virus's presence in bats means people who live nearby could be at risk for becoming infected. No outbreaks have been reported to date.
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https://www.nature.com/news/inside-the-chinese-lab-poised-to-study-world-s-most-dangerous-pathogens-1.21487https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/25/5/18-0220_article The facility, known as the
Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory, is housed within the Wuhan branch of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences and was specifically designed to help Chinese scientists "prepare for and respond to future infectious disease outbreaks," according to a 2019 report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Chinese government moved to construct such a lab following the 2003 SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic, during which more than 8,000 people caught the infection and more than 750 died worldwide, according to the CDC. Laboratories that handle pathogens receive a rating of 1 to 4, depending on what class of microbe they can feasibly contain, with 1 representing the lowest risk and 4 representing the highest risk. Designated at Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4), the Wuhan lab can hold the world's most dangerous pathogens at maximum biocontainment levels.
Although China intends to build five to seven high-containment laboratories by 2025, as of now, only the Wuhan lab can currently contain pathogens of this nature, according to the 2019 CDC report.
Chinese health officials have classified the new coronavirus as a Class B infectious disease, placing the illness in the same category as SARS and HIV/AIDS, The
Washington Post reported. However, the Chinese government announced that it will institute Class A controls — which are usually reserved for more dangerous diseases, like cholera and the plague — in an attempt to contain the outbreak.
Open Access: Han Xia, Yi Huang, et.al.
Biosafety Level 4 Laboratory User Training Program, China, Volume 25, Number 5—May 2019 CDC Online Report