BEIJING -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has published an article on the basic information, transmission mechanism and protection measures relating to the novel coronavirus in a Q&A format, amid global efforts to tackle the outbreak. The following is the text of the article.

Q1: What is a coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses found in both animals and humans. Some infected people are known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Q2: What is a "novel" coronavirus?

A novel coronavirus is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. The "novel" coronavirus, now called 2019-nCoV, has not previously detected before the outbreak was reported in Wuhan, China in December.