UPDATE 4-Chinese family in UAE diagnosed as first cases of new virus in Middle East

Four members of a Chinese family who arrived in the United Arab Emirates from the city of Wuhan have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus, the first known cases in the Middle East, the UAE health ministry said on Wednesday. The virus originated in Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province, and has killed more than 130 people in China. The UAE is a major international air transport hub and its airport in Dubai is one of the world's busiest.

The family members are in a stable condition and under medical observation, the ministry said in a statement carried by the state news agency. The statement did not say where the family members were being treated or when they arrived in the UAE. The ministry and a government information office did not respond to a request for further comment.

Nearly 60 cases have been reported in 15 countries outside China, including the United States, France, and Singapore. Fears of the spreading virus have pushed airlines to reduce flights to China. Emirates, the UAE's biggest airline, said on Wednesday its flights were operating normally.

The Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) health committee met on Wednesday in the Saudi capital Riyadh to discuss the new coronavirus and to unify Gulf efforts to prevent its spread, Bahrain's state news agency BNA said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)