
SHANGHAI/DALIAN -- Health experts in China on Thursday confirmed a new type of virus as the cause of a pneumonia outbreak in the city of Wuhan ahead of a rush of holiday travel in the region.
Described as a coronavirus, it belongs to the same family as the virus behind severe acute respiratory syndrome. Chinese researchers said it differs from the six known human coronaviruses, including the SARS virus that killed hundreds in Asia and elsewhere in 2003.