Health officials say Pennsylvanians have little to fear so far from a deadly respiratory illness spreading across Southeast Asia.

The coronavirus, which presents itself with symptoms similar to a common cold or the flu, has so far killed 18 people, mainly in China, and has sickened people in Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam and the United States, according to The New York Times.

Pennsylvania has yet to record a confirmed case, but officials are taking precautions to prevent a spread of the disease.

“For the general public there is nothing to really worry about if you haven’t been exposed to anyone from the impacted area or haven’t traveled to the impacted area,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease physician. “The symptoms are very similar to the common cold or the flu: fever, chills, cough.”

Nate Wardle, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Health Department, said the department is monitoring the virus and working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health departments to be sure all are prepared in case of an outbreak in the United States.

The Allegheny County Health Department issued an advisory saying that it has been in contact with federal and state health agencies, the Pittsburgh International Airport and hospitals and clinics throughout the county to discuss the outbreak.

Airports across the country are screening passengers arriving from Asia. The Allegheny County Airport Authority said Pittsburgh International has no nonstop flights from China and is not one of the airports conducting enhanced passenger health screenings.

Airport officials are monitoring updates and guidelines from the CDC and is prepared to respond if the situation changes, according to the authority.

The virus was first confirmed in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December, according to the CDC. Chinese officials are now limiting travel in and out of the region.

Officials have confirmed one case in the United States. The Seattle area man is in isolation and under medical care, according to news accounts.

Wardle said officials believe the source of the disease is snakes.

“They believe it may be snakes that transmitted it to a person, either from a bite or a snake spitting on a person without biting,” he said. “What can happen is the novel coronavirus can mutate and it can jump from person to person. As long as you’re not traveling out of the country there’s really not too much to be worried about at this point.”

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