[GirlShortstop]

Identifying the virus as a member of the Paramyxoviridae family, Professor John Tam of the department of microbiology of the Chinese University said it was detected by electron microscopy.

A non-scientific question:   Did they ever indicate from where this bug comes?   It's in the "Para...family", does that equate to naturally occurring, self-mutated?

[Judith Anne]

Not indicated, as of today.

[realpatriot71]

A non-scientific question: Did they ever indicate from where this bug comes? It's in the "Para...family", does that equate to naturally occurring, self-mutated?

It's a fancy way of saying "flu" - it's naturally occuring

[Mother Abigail]

This new virus is naturally occurring.

We have had some recent experience with this subfamily of virus.

Hendra and Nipah are recent culprits in small outbreaks.

They are so new that they have been given their own genus (Henipavirus).

Hendra and Nipah are both zoonotic meaning they can transmit from animals to man - horses, pigs, bats etc. - Remember this is all very new stuff.

And it might well be that a mutant of the Paramyxoviridae family has broken out in South China spread to Hong Kong and is doing a bit of traveling..

Here is the correct classification of these bugs (as it stands now) Henipavirus becomes the fourth genus within the Paramyxovirinae subfamily of the Paramyxoviridae family. The other genera within the subfamily are Rubulavirus, Morbillivirus and Respirovirus.

Morbillivirus is measles

Rubulavirus is mumps