A SEAFOOD wholesale market in Wuhan, Central China’s Hubei Province, was shut down yesterday after 27 people were hospitalized with an unidentified type of pneumonia since the beginning of December.

The Huanan Seafood Market will be closed for environmental and sanitation control according to public health regulations on pneumonia epidemic controls, the local newspaper Wuhan Evening News reported yesterday, citing a notice outside the seafood market that was posted by local market and health authorities yesterday.

The notice asked vendors to cooperate, saying another notice will indicate when the market will be reopened.

Vendors have been busy preparing for the market’s closure, and had begun to leave the market early Wednesday morning, the newspaper reported.

Twenty-seven people have been hospitalized with viral pneumonia in Wuhan since the beginning of December, and most of the patients are vendors at the seafood market, the People’s Daily reported Tuesday.

Of the 27 patients, seven are in critical condition, two are recovering and will soon be released from the hospital and the others are in stable condition, People’s Daily said, noting that related tests, quarantine and treatment procedures are being conducted.

Reports on the Internet on Tuesday speculated that people were made sick by a reoccurrence of the SARS virus, but People’s Daily cited doctors saying Tuesday the as-yet unidentified virus is unlikely to be the SARS virus. If it is the SARS virus, China possesses a mature prevention and treatment system, so there is no need for citizens to panic, the newspaper said.

The disease has not been spread by human to human contact and no medical personnel have been infected, news website thepaper.cn reported Tuesday.

Experts sent by the National Health Commission arrived in Wuhan on Tuesday, China Central Television reported.

Reports say viral pneumonia is most common in winter and spring, and people should allow outside air to circulate indoors, avoid crowed public places, wear masks and visit a doctor if symptoms arise.

(Global Times)