No coronavirus cases reported in China: health ministry

No novel coronavirus infections have been found on Chinese territories, a Ministry of Health spokesman said on Wednesday.

Deng Haihua said the suspected case of severe respiratory disease associated with the virus affecting a four-year-old Saudi Arabian boy was confirmed to be an influenza infection. The boy received treatment in Hong Kong on Monday Oct. 8.

Last month, the ministry set up a team of experts consisting of specialists in fields such as epidemiology, medical treatment and laboratory testing, to research and assess risks associated with the new coronavirus.

Deng said the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has trained staff at 32 provincial-level disease control centers and 131 port cities on coronavirus laboratory testing techniques.

The ministry is stepping up surveillance by alerting hospitals and port cities to be vigilant and to notify it immediately of any suspected cases, he said.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. They include viruses that cause the common cold and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

A spokesman for the World Health Organization said that although the novel virus belongs to the same family as what caused SARS in 2002 and 2003, they were distinctly different.

Meanwhile, Deng said the current cholera epidemic situation in the city of Huangshi of Hubei Province in central China was proceeding "intensely and smoothly."

It was confirmed that there were three cholera patients and one carrier of the virus by 12 a.m. on Oct. 9. Deng added that the patients were being treated in hospital and people who have been in close contact with them have been put in isolation.

The patients are currently in stable condition, Deng said.