As the casualty in the ongoing coronavirus ravaging China and some parts of the world hit 722 with over 34,500 cases recorded on Sunday, Five British nationals, including a child have been reported tested positive for the new disease in France.
The country’s health minister added that the five Britons stayed at the same ski chalet.
France’s latest figure shows that the country has 11 cases of the novel coronavirus as at Sunday.
According to Health Minister Agnes Buzyn, the new “cluster” centred on a Briton who have returned from Singapore and stayed in Contamines-Montjoie, near Mont Blanc in the French Alps.
The minister, a medical doctor, however said “they show no serious signs” of a life-threatening infection.”
She revealed at the press conference that the British nationals at the centre of the new cases had been moved to Britain, adding they were not counted among the French tally.
“In addition to the five Britons who have tested positive for the virus, six other Britons staying in the same chalet in late January have also been hospitalised for observation,” the minister said.
Sources said authorities in France and Singapore were on top of the situation in contacting people who came into close contact with the initially infected Britons.
A senior health official Jerome Salomon who attended the press briefing along with Buzyn said the British was on a business trip and had stayed at a hotel for an event with 94 other foreigners.
He further disclosed that other “clusters” had been identified in Malaysia and South Korea around people who attended the same event.
“The new British cases in the French ski resort, including a child, shows that this virus is not limited to older, more vulnerable people, one infected person can cause a cluster of cases”, William Keevil said.
Keevil is a Professor of Environmental Healthcare at the University of Southampton said.
Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in global health at the same university said: “Singapore is a major transport hub in Southeast Asia.
“So going forward, we may well find further international cases that have travelled through Singapore.
“The French ski resort will have citizens from numerous other countries there, so there are implications for potential onward transmission.
” Most of the six previous cases in France appear to have been treated successfully, though all are still in the hospital, the professor said.
The new disease showed face in Wuhan, central China while French government ministry has issued a warning against any travel to China with the exception of a journey with “imperative” reason.
