BU Closely Monitoring Coronavirus Outbreak
Original article from BU Today by , 2020
Boston University officials are keeping a close eye on a coronavirus outbreak stemming from the Chinese city of Wuhan. The illness first appeared last month and has since begun spreading around the world, with the United States seeing its first confirmed case in Washington state Tuesday. Globally, 17 people have died.
BU has students, staff, faculty members, and researchers who travel frequently to and from China, and students and scholars from China also visit the University regularly for conferences or other reasons.
Experts believe the virus originated in a live animal market in Wuhan, where there is frequent contact between different species of livestock and consumers who are looking to purchase animals. On Wednesday, officials in Wuhan essentially quarantined the area, shutting down trains, buses, subways, and the airport to try and limit any further spread of the virus.
“BU is working with the Boston Public Health Commission as we monitor this situation,” says Judy Platt, director of BU Student Health Services. “As with other contagious illnesses, we are implementing infection prevention measures, both at Student Health Services and across the University.”
Symptoms of infection with the virus can start off looking like the common cold, with people experiencing cough, fever, runny nose, headache, sore throat, or general malaise. More serious cases also include symptoms like difficulty breathing or bronchitis or pneumonia.
“The disease symptoms are similar to the ones caused by SARS [severe acute respiratory syndrome]—fever, cough, difficult breathing,” says Mohsan Saeed, a School of Medicine assistant professor of biochemistry and a faculty member of BU’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories. “But the disease severity is low.”