Cases of viral respiratory illness rise sharply in China

BEIJING - Chinese health authorities urged people in the city of Wuhan to avoid crowds and public gatherings after warning on Wednesday that a new viral illness infecting hundreds of people in the country and causing at least nine deaths could spread further.

The number of new cases has risen sharply in China, the center of the outbreak. There were 440 confirmed cases as of midnight Tuesday in 13 jurisdictions, said Li Bin, deputy director of the National Health Commission. Nine people have died, all in Hubei province, since the outbreak emerged in its provincial capital of Wuhan late last month.

http://www.startribune.com/new-virus-cases-in-china-reach-440-nine-dead/567183112/