Several Scottish universities have moved to reassure students over the spread of the Coronavirus outbreak due to their links with institutions in the Chinese city thought to be the origin of the disease.

The Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow all share partnerships with higher education facilities in Wuhan, where the deadly strain of illness was first identified.

More than 50 Chinese students currently study at the Scottish institutions as part of the link, while staff members at Dundee recently returned from a trip to the Hubei region.

One member of staff from Aberdeen is currently working from home as a "precautionary measure" after a visit to the university.

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Over 8,000 Chinese students were studying at Scottish universities in 2019, according to Universities Scotland.

A spokesman for the University said it has issued advice to students recently in China and said they should be careful if receiving items, especially food, from areas where the virus is present.

It runs a joint education partnership with Wuhan University, with 34 students on the programme in Dundee who arrived in September.

Five staff returned from a visit to Wuhan last week, the spokesman added.

He said no health concerns have been raised among either group, adding: “We will continue to monitor the situation taking advice from the relevant agencies as to appropriate action.”

The University of Glasgow, which has a partnership agreement with the Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, issued guidance to students affected by the outbreak on Wednesday.

A statement read: “We are conscious that our students may have family and friends in the locality and our thoughts are with anyone who may have been affected”.

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A University of Aberdeen spokesman said: “The university has a partnership with Wuhan University but is not aware of any students who are currently in Wuhan or who have returned from the area in recent weeks.

“The university is aware of five members of staff who have visited Wuhan during the outbreak, four of whom returned to the university three or more weeks ago.

“The remaining member of staff has a non-teaching role and is working from home as a precautionary measure.

“Advice regarding travel precautions has been issued to staff and students in line with Government guidance.”