Hong Kong raises China pneumonia outbreak level to 'serious'

Hong Kong has stepped stepped up monitoring and infection controls in its hospitals as a mystery viral pneumonia outbreak spreads in mainland china. - AFP

HONG KONG: Hospital officials in Hong Kong raised their alert level to "serious" on Sunday (Jan 5) as a mystery viral pneumonia outbreak in mainland China continued to spread.

The infection was first reported on December 24 in Wuhan, a central Chinese city with a population of over 11 million -- leading to online speculation about a resurgence of the flu-like SARS virus that killed hundreds of people in 2002-2003.