The United States has confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus on its territory.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said the virus, which originated in China, had been diagnosed in a US resident who arrived in Seattle from China.

The virus, which spread from the Chinese city of Wuhan, has infected almost 300 people, and six have died.

The patient diagnosed in the US – reported to be a man in his 30s – returned from Wuhan on 15 January, the CDC said.

“The patient sought care at a medical facility in the state of Washington, where the patient was treated for the illness,” it added in a statement.

“Based on the patient’s travel history and symptoms, healthcare professionals suspected this new coronavirus.”

Laboratory testing of a clinical specimen confirmed the diagnosis on 20 January, the CDC statement continued.

The patient, who has not been named, is currently in isolation at the Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington.

With the news that the Wuhan coronavirus has spread to the US, there are now five countries which have confirmed cases of the disease.

Outside of mainland China there has been one case confirmed on the island of Taiwan, one case in South Korea, one case in Japan, two cases in Thailand, and one case in the United States.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has issued a travel advisory to its citizens travelling by air over the outbreak of the deadly virus.

North Korea has also temporarily closed its borders to foreign tourists in response to the threat, a tour operator says.

The announcement that North Korea was barring entry to foreign tourists came from Young Pioneer Tours, which is based in China and specialises in travel to North Korea.

The company said in a statement that North Korea was implementing a temporary ban as a precaution.

“Further details are yet to be confirmed by our travel partners in North Korea and we will continue to make all future announcements on our website,” Young Pioneer Tours said.

Another tour group that travels to North Korea, Koryo Tours, also tweeted about “possible limits to tourist entry”.

The World Health Organization (WHO) meets in Geneva on Wednesday to debate whether a global emergency needs to be declared over the Wuhan coronavirus.