Responding actively, made strict prevention plan: China on spread of SARS-like coronavirus

After the SARS-like coronavirus spread to multiple countries, China on Monday said it was "responding actively" and had made "strict prevention and control plans".

"China has adopted a serious, careful and professional attitude since the beginning of the epidemic. China has been responding actively, and made strict prevention and control plans. China has also done all it can to treat the patients and has well managed those who have been in close contact with the patients," China's foreign ministry Geng Shuang spokesman said.

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The foreign ministry spokesman asserted thatChina had shared information on the epidemic situation with the World Health Organization including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

After the novel coronavirus infection (2019-nCoV) was detected last month in Wuhan, a third death was reported last Saturday. The virus has now spread to other Chinese cities namelyBeijing and Shenzhen.

In Pics:Tracking China's SARS-like coronavirus

"After receiving notifications of relevant cases from relevant countries, China attached great importance to strengthening cooperation with them to tackle the epidemic and maintained close communication with all parties through bilateral and multilateral channels," the foreign ministry said.

China's President Xi Jinping speaking to state broadcaster CCTV said the new virus needed to be "resolutely contained"

"The safety of people's lives and their physical health should be given top priority", the Chinese president said.

Meanwhile, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said 136 new cases of pneumonia caused by the coronavirus strain had been found in the city.

The strain of pneumonia outbreak spreading in the Chinese cities of Wuhan and Shenzhen has added a new nationality to itslist of infected individuals - a 45-year-old Indian school teacher, who is undergoing treatment for the mysterious SARS-like coronavirus.

Doctors on Monday confirmed that she was suffering from the virus and is being treated for the same. The patient - Preeti Maheshwari - is a teacher at an international school in Shenzhen.

First discovered in the central city of Wuhan, the coronavirus strain has caused alarm due to its connection to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome(SARS), which hada kill count of around 650 people across mainland China and Hongkong in 2002-2003.

Serving as a major transport hub, Wuhan has 11 million inhabitants and sees hundreds of millions more during the Lunar New Year, when people travel across the country to visit family.