Coronavirus threat

A newly-identified respiratory virus that causes pneumonia has been recently discovered in China. The coronavirus, which is believed to have originated at a food market in Wuhan city, has killed 56 people and infected around two thousand in the country.

China has enforced strict containment measures as more than 56 million people in almost 20 cities are effected by travel restrictions introduced amid fears that the transmission rate could accelerate since millions travel for Chinese New Year Celebrations.

The virus has spread in China and nearby countries in Asia, while cases have been reported in US, Canada and France. What makes the virus dangerous is that symptoms are not easily detected, nor do researchers know how precisely the virus spread from person to person. Since it is a virus and not a bacterial infection, antibiotics do not work and currently, there is no vaccine available.

It is known that the coronavirus is spread through close contact primarily through a sick person coughing or sneezing on someone. Two Chinese provinces and three cities have ordered residents to wear face masks in public to help control the spread of the virus. The incubation period – the time it takes from a person being infected to showing symptoms – is also unknown, but assumed to be around fourteen days. The simplest prevention a person can take is proper handwashing.

China has been the origin of similar diseases partly due to the rampant trade and consumption of wild and exotic species. An outbreak of the SARS virus killed nearly 800 people worldwide between 2002 and 2003. China was criticised for its lack of transparency which allowed the disease to accelerate, but no lessons have been learned to respond to the new virus. China has imposed a temporary ban on the trade of wildlife in markets and has forbidden transport or sale of all wild animal species until the epidemic is over.

Despite fears and uncertainty, the virus is not deadly in all cases as many patients were released with minor symptoms. The WHO has not declared a public health emergency of international concern as yet. The Ebola epidemic in West Africa had raised similar fears as no vaccine was available but the disease was contained. There are reports that a company, which had developed a treatment for Ebola, is in the preliminary stage of research to develop a vaccine for this new strain of coronavirus.

Pakistan has reported a coronavirus case in Multan involving a Chinese man. The country lacks any facilities to treat the disease, and the health adviser is in complete denial that the disease could spread here. Although passengers are being screened at airports, the virus could be another burden on our shambolic health sector.