Chinese authorities have confirmed a deadly virus that has infected more than 200 people in four countries can be transmitted via human-to-human contact.
The confirmation comes as airports around the world introduced temperature screening, with hundreds of millions of Chinese people travelling home and abroad for the Lunar New Year holiday.
China's President Xi Jinping said 217 people in the country have been infected by the new viral pneumonia.
Four people have died so far, while cases have also been confirmed in Thailand, Japan and South Korea.
The fourth person confirmed dead was an 89-year-old man who developed symptoms in Wuhan on 13 January and was admitted to hospital five days later.
He died on 19 January.
The virus belongs to the same family of coronaviruses that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 800 people around the world during a 2002-03 outbreak that started in China.
The newest virus, which has no cure, has been dubbed Wuhan Virus as it originated at the seafood market in the city of Wuhan in central Hubei province.
Chinese New Year is this Saturday and brings with it a week long holiday when most people will travel home on Friday, often to the countryside from the cities, or take the chance to go overseas.
President Xi said: "The recent outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan and other places must be taken seriously.
"Party committees, governments and relevant departments at all levels should put people's lives and health first.
"They should ensure that the masses have a quiet, peaceful and joyous Spring Festival."
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