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Mystery flu in China should put health authorities on alert, especially since it coincides with vacation time in that country. On January 22, the World Health Organisation will hold an emergency meeting to discuss the situation arising out of the outbreak of a mystery respiratory illness, which has killed at least four people and infected more than 200 in China. With cases also being reported in Japan, South Korea, and Thailand, the outbreak has revived memories of the SARs epidemic caused by a coronavirus that killed nearly 800 people and infected more than 8,000 others across the world in 2002-2003. Preliminary analysis of the new virus's genetic code reveals that is more closely related to SARS than any other coronavirus detected in humans in the past 20 years. And, though experts suggest that the new flu may not be as lethal as SARS, there are enough reasons for health authorities around the world to be vigilant. The infection, initially transmitted from animals, was first detected in Wuhan province in mid-December. some reports have hinted that the virus spread from a seafood market in Wuhan. But the fact that several people who contracted the flu never visited the market has complicated the search of the disease's origins. Chinese researchers now believe that, given a large number of cases, the likelihood of human-to-human transmission is large. But the failure to isolate the animals that transmit the virus in the first place could compromise efforts to contain the outbreak.