The threat of disease amid the world's largest migration
(Baonghean) - Countries around the world have often struggled to contain the rapid spread of disease, from the H1N1 flu that spread globally in 2009 to efforts to contain Ebola raging in West Africa. But no health agency has ever had to deal with the challenge that China is facing now, as the country of a billion people is facing a new strain of coronavirus, as hundreds of thousands of people prepare to embark on the world's largest annual migration during the Lunar New Year.
Viruses are transmitted from person to person.
During the Lunar New Year holiday, Chinese people will pack trains, buses and flights to return home to reunite with their families. Others will take advantage of the break to travel. Last year, nearly 7 million Chinese tourists traveled abroad during the holiday, according to state media. This year, the country's most important holiday comes at the worst possible time, as health officials race to contain a disease outbreak that has left Asia on edge.
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| A train ride home for Chinese New Year, photo taken in 2018. Photo: Getty |
The virus, which was first detected in the city of Wuhan, has infected more than 200 people and has spread to at least a third country. On January 20, China's National Health Commission confirmed that the coronavirus detected in Wuhan can be transmitted from person to person, and that medical staff have also been infected. The news came after South Korea confirmed its first case, making it the third country outside China to detect the virus. The three previous cases, two in Thailand and one in Japan, were all people who had been to Wuhan.
“One of the consequences of a more connected world is that diseases have the potential to spread globally more quickly than they did 50 years ago.”
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| Medical staff transfer a patient to a hospital treating the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. Photo: Gett |
Other cases have also been detected in China, evidence that the outbreak has spread beyond Wuhan, creating risks and unpredictable spread. By the morning of January 21, five cases had been confirmed in Beijing, two in Shanghai and 14 in Guangdong - all hundreds of kilometres from Wuhan. Other suspected cases have been reported across China, from Shandong in the east to Sichuan in the southwest.
Scientists in the country on January 8 identified the pathogen as a new strain of coronavirus, from the same family as the one that caused SARS. In 2002 and 2003, SARS infected more than 8,000 people and killed 774 across Asia, even spreading as far as Canada.
Initial symptoms of the coronavirus detected in Wuhan include fever and cough, which are common symptoms of influenza. Some people have had difficulty breathing and invasive lung lesions, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO said it would hold an emergency meeting on January 22 to discuss the outbreak in China.
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| WHO experts arrive in Wuhan to coordinate disease prevention and control with Chinese medical staff. Photo: Dong Phuong |
Epidemic center - travel center!
The recent spike in new coronavirus cases appears to indicate a much wider spread. According to research by Imperial College London, the number of cases in Wuhan alone may be underestimated, raising the risk that those infected may have traveled to other parts of China before control measures were put in place. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on January 20 that since the outbreak was detected, the country has taken active measures to control the spread and has developed a plan for disease prevention and control. On January 19, the country's National Health Commission also affirmed that the situation is "still preventable and controllable."
According to CNN, the official number of 200 confirmed cases in China is much different from the estimate of 1,700 cases by British researchers as of January 12, based on calculations of cases in Thailand and Japan, and estimates of the number of people leaving Wuhan International Airport. More than 60 air routes connect Wuhan to other countries, including direct flights to New York, San Francisco, Sydney, Paris and London, and more than 100 domestic flights to many major cities in China. The city of 11 million people in central China is also the hub of the country's high-speed rail network.
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| Body temperature checks at airports and train stations in Wuhan. Photo: Da Chieu |
Governments around the world have begun to respond to the looming threat. Australia said on January 21 that it was increasing customs measures on flights from Wuhan to Sydney. Last week, the US announced screening measures for passengers arriving from Wuhan at airports in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, following similar measures by governments in Asia.
In Wuhan alone, infrared thermometers were installed at the airport, train stations, bus stations, and docks to measure the body temperatures of passengers leaving the city on January 14. But these measures were implemented five weeks after the outbreak began, meaning that countless passengers may have left without any screening. Some have also questioned the increased screening and vigilance in Wuhan, as it emerged that a woman diagnosed with the coronavirus in South Korea had visited Wuhan for a fever and aches, but was instead prescribed cold medicine and sent home.
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| Locations where confirmed cases of coronavirus were detected in Wuhan. Photo: CNN |
This outbreak has reminded many people of the SARS outbreak many years ago, when China was criticized by other countries and the WHO for its lack of transparency, slow information release, and downplaying the severity of the disease. Now, the news of human-to-human transmission has added to concerns about the new disease, and combined with the massive movement of people in the coming weeks, health officials and the public will be anxiously watching to see how far the virus will spread.
Perhaps partly to reassure the public and international public, earlier this week, in the first statement by a Chinese leader since the outbreak, President Xi Jinping called on authorities to make “resolute efforts” to contain the spread of the disease. Xi also stressed the need to put people’s safety and health as the top priority, urging relevant departments and sectors to promptly provide information, along with close international cooperation to respond to the epidemic.
