J-K administration orders screening at airports amid coronavirus outbreak

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday issued a special advisory on screening at airports with regard to the coronavirus outbreak and setting up of special isolation wards with all the facilities of specialised doctors and other staff already been made.

"Special isolation ward with all the facilities has been set after the advisory. Although no such case has been reported from Jammu and Kashmir, the administration is on high alert," said Dr. Chander Prakash Medical Superintendent, Government Medical Hospital, Gandhi Nagar.

He has advised people who have travelled to China in the last 14 days and have some flu-like symptoms to get themselves checked.

Coronaviruses (nCoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

Coronavirus is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.