The third case of coronavirus in the UK has been confirmed, the Department of Health has said.
Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England said: "A further patient has tested positive for coronavirus bringing the total number of cases in the UK to three.
"The individual did not acquire this in the UK.
"The patient is being transferred to a specialist NHS centre, and we are using robust infection control measures to prevent any possible further spread of the virus.
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"The NHS is well prepared to manage these cases and we are now working quickly to identify any contacts the patient has had."
This comes a week after it was announced that two others had also tested positive for the deadly infection in the UK.
The illness has now claimed the lives of 565 people, with around 28,000 cases reported worldwide.
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The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged up to $100 million (£77 million) this week to help get the outbreak under control.
Yesterday the tragic news came to light that a Chinese baby, which had been born to a coronavirus patient in Wuhan, had been diagnosed with the condition just 30 hours after being delivered.
Doctors are now concerned the infection is able to pass from mothers to their babies while they are in the womb.
The child was born in Wuhan on Sunday, after its mother was confirmed to have the deadly virus before she went in to labour.
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Doctors then tested the baby, whose gender hasn't been confirmed, and the result came back positive.
The baby was then transferred to the Wuhan Children's Hospital - the centre appointed by the government to treat all infected children.
At three days old, the baby's condition was stable and was being closely monitored by staff.
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The hospital announced the news through a post on its official social media account today.
Dr Zeng Lingkong, chief physician from the hospital's Department of Neonatal Medicine said: "This reminds us to pay attention to a potential new transmission route of the coronavirus - vertical transmission from mothers to babies."
The newborn baby is one of two that have tested positive for the new coronavirus by the Wuhan Children's Hospital.
A 17-day-old baby tested positive for the sickness after it was born healthy on 13 January. The hospital said the baby's family hired a wet nurse to look after it on 22 January. But the wet nurse was diagnosed with the virus soon after.
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It is unclear if the baby contracted the virus from its mother or the wet nurse.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Interesting, Health
