Tasnim � The Imam Khomeini International Airport here in the Iranian capital has started health screenings for passengers arriving from East Asian countries after detection of the Wuhan coronavirus outside China, an official said.

Deputy president of the Imam Khomeini Airport City Corporate said on Saturday that the airport staff are working in cooperation with Iran�s Ministry of Health around the clock to implement health screenings and quarantine procedures to fight the spread of coronavirus, a new SARS-like illness.

Hassan Khoskhoo noted that flights depart from Tehran for four destinations in China on a daily basis, adding that health checks are being carried out at the airport in compliance with the necessary standards.

�Every single passenger and flight crew arriving in Iran from China and East Asian countries are screened, and would be taken to the medical centers in case of detection of the coronavirus symptoms in quarantine,� he added.

The official also said that passengers from other countries in which cases of the new virus have been detected are also screened for the coronavirus.

Hundreds of people have been infected by the Wuhan coronavirus in mainland China, Thailand, South Korea, Japan and the US.

At least 41 people have died, mostly in China�s Hubei province, the majority of them elderly and suffering from pre-existing conditions.

Chinese health experts have confirmed some cases involved human-to-human transmission.