Viral Outbreak Gets Worse In China

BEIJING (AP) – Chinese health authorities are urging people in the city of Wuhan to avoid crowds and public gatherings after warning that a new viral illness infecting hundreds of people in the country and causing at least nine deaths could spread further. A national health official says 440 cases are confirmed. The nine deaths are all in Hubei province, where the first cases were reported last month. The illness comes from a new coronavirus that experts say may be spread through the respiratory tract and may be mutating. A World Health Organization meeting in Geneva later Wednesday will determine whether to declare the outbreak a global health crisis.