Five people in Scotland are being tested amid fears of the spreading coronavirus, a Scottish government spokesperson has confirmed. 

"Following travel to Wuhan, China, two people confirmed as diagnosed with influenza are now being tested for Wuhan Novel Coronavirus as a precautionary measure only," the spokesperson said. "Three further people are also undergoing testing on a similar precautionary basis."

Earlier in the day, Jurgen Haas, the head of infection medicine at the University of Edinburgh, had said there were three suspected cases in Edinburgh and one in Glasgow, all of whom had suffered respiratory problems and all of whom had traveled from Wuhan during the last 14 days. 

Haas said it is "very likely" the UK will suffer confirmed cases soon. "In any European countries, there is a danger that these cases occur," he said. "Here at the University of Edinburgh, we have more than 2,000 students from China and they are always coming and going back to China, so we are relatively sure we will have cases in the UK from travelers coming back from China." 

The Scottish government spokesperson insisted: "There are currently no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Scotland and the risk to the Scottish public remains low... As the situation develops, we will update should there be any confirmed cases of coronavirus, rather than provide a running update on cases being considered on a precautionary basis."

The outbreak is believed to have originated in Wuhan, on the Yangtze river in China. With a population of more than 11 million, it is the seventh most populous Chinese city. Authorities have introduced quarantining measures in Wuhan and another Chinese city, Huanggang. On Wednesday, China suspended all flights out of Wuhan, while closing all transport services and public venues, in a bid to cut down the spread of the virus.

However, there have already been several hundred reported cases across China and in various countries including Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea and the U.S.. Haas warned that the virus may continue to spread due to increased travel around Chinese New Year, which begins on 25 January. 

Earlier on Thursday, UK health secretary Matt Hancock told MPs that the national health service is vigilant and well-prepared. "This is a rapidly developing situation and the number of deaths and the number of cases is likely to be higher than those that have been confirmed so far and I expect them to rise," he said.

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