Cambodia confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus late Monday.
A Chinese man from Wuhan, traveling with three family members who entered Cambodia through Sihanoukville International Airport, tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus, Health Minister Mam Bunheng said during a press conference.
The 60-year-old man, Jia Jianhua, is being quarantined at Preah Sihanouk provincial hospital, and his condition is not considered serious, Bunheng said.
He flew from Wuhan city to Cambodia on January 23 and developed a fever and runny nose on Saturday, ministry spokesman Ly Sovann told VOD in a message.
Health providers collected a sample on Sunday and test results came back positive on Monday, Sovann said.
According to a statement issued by the Health Ministry, Jia stayed two nights at the Independence Hotel in Sihanoukville before transferring to the Queenco Hotel & Casino on Saturday. He spent two hours in the swimming pool, the statement said.
It added that Jia’s three family members tested negative for the virus.
Ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine said at the press conference that three Cambodians, including a taxi driver, have been put under observation after having contact with Jia.
More than 2,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) have been reported globally, with the majority found in China, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
Five cases have also been reported in Thailand; four in Singapore and Australia; three in Malaysia, Japan and France; and two cases each in Vietnam, South Korea and the U.S., according to a WHO report from Sunday.
On December 31, WHO was informed of a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown origin detected in Hubei’s Wuhan city.
Updated at 8:21 p.m. with information about the man’s condition
Updated at 8:41 p.m. with details of the man’s itinerary
