There’s a new coronavirus going around and it’s wrecking havoc in China. The virus, which first emerged in December last year has now claimed a total of 17 lives and effected more than 550 people. Given its deadly and contagious nature, there are there is a growing fear that this could be a repeat of the SARS pandemic (also a type of coronavirus) which eventually claimed more than 800 lives worldwide

The virus, which originated in Central China has since spread to South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand by people who have just returned from China, with one case even being reported in the USA. Symptoms include a high fever and difficulty breathing in more severe cases, while mild cases may look more like a common cold.

The Chinese government has since taken the extreme measure of cutting off access to the epicenter of the virus, Wuhan, which is a city of more than 11 million people. Planes, trains, buses, subways and ferries have all been suspended until further notice, meaning no one comes in and no one comes out. With roughly 30,000 people flying in and out of Wuhan every day, a shutdown of this scale is surprising.

Governments around the world are also taking precautions by introducing special screening measures at ports of entry, and the World Health Organization is currently weighing whether or not to declare an international emergency.

With Chinese New Year around the corner, the spread of the virus couldn’t have come at a worse time. Millions of Chinese citizens will be travelling back to their hometowns and the Wuhan lockdown makes things a whole lot more difficult for those who have family there.

There is still so much uncertainty about the virus, including how quickly or easily it can pass from person to person, giving the extreme measures taken a lot more sensibility. With the emergence of SARS in 2002 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012, this outbreak continues the trend of a major coronavirus epidemic occurring around once every decade.