At least six persons have died of the new SARS-like virus in China with top leaders warning officials against any cover up of the information on its outbreak even as the WHO is considering declaring an international public health emergency to combat the deadly illness.
The number of infected people has also increased sharply to about 300 as the government scampered to contain its spread by increasing monitoring on the movement of public from the 12 million people strong Wuhan city from where the SARS-like virus was first reported in December.
The World Health Organization (WHO), which is holding an emergency meeting on Wednesday, will consider declaring an international public health emergency over the virus - as it did with swine flu and Ebola, BBC reported.
Such a declaration, if made, will be seen as an urgent call for a coordinated international response in view of fears that millions of Chinese are travelling at home and abroad for the Chinese New Year and Spring Festival holidays starting from January 24.
Meanwhile, Taiwan, Philippines and Australia are testing their first suspected case of Chinese virus.
