TEHRAN – Iran has restricted all flights and recreational travels to and from China due to coronavirus outbreak, IRIB news agency reported on Saturday.

Health Minister Saeed Namaki said that screening and surveillance is underway across all the country’s air and sea borders, and no cases of coronavirus have been reported so far.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Mehdi Gooya, head of the health ministry's center for infectious diseases, told IRNA that rumors that the novel coronavirus has reached Iran's neighborhood are untrue, according to reports by the World Health Organization.

Gooya went on to say that the novel coronavirus has not been reported in Iraq, Kurdistan of Iraq, Pakistan or any of the neighboring countries and the only country in the region which has confirmed the virus, is the UAE.

An outbreak of the disease is spreading around the world after originating at a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan; which killed at least 259 people and infected 11,791 in China, and about 100 cases have been confirmed in 21 other countries.

According to the World Health Organization, coronaviruses (CoV) 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). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) 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. 

Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.

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