France confirms 2 cases of virus from China, 1st in Europe

PARIS (AP) — France has announced two cases of the deadly new virus from China, the first cases in Europe, and the first outside Asia and the United States. The two confirmed cases were announced Friday by the health minister, Agnes Buzyn. She said both the sickened people had traveled to China. The minister said she expects more cases and that the virus must be battled like a wildfire. She said the likely reason that France has the first European cases is that it quickly developed a test allowing medics to rapidly diagnose the sickened. One of people who caught the virus is hospitalized in the southwestern city of Bordeaux. The other is in Paris.