NEW YORK, N.Y. (AP) – For the first time in the U.S., the new virus from China has spread from one person to another, health officials said Thursday.
Tests confirming that he was infected came back Wednesday night, Illinois health officials said at a Chicago press conference.
This person-to-person spread was between two very close contacts, a husband and wife,” said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads.
The new patient has a health condition, but health officials did not say what it is.