The threat of disease amid the largest migration on the planet
(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 are about 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 cram into 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.
 |
| A train ride home for Chinese New Year, photo taken in 2018. Photo: Getty |
The virus, first detected in 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.”
 |
| 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 causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). In 2002 and 2003, SARS infected more than 8,000 people and killed 774 across Asia, even spreading to Canada.
Initial symptoms of the coronavirus discovered in Wuhan include fever and cough, which are also common symptoms of influenza. Some people have had difficulty breathing and invasive lesions in the lungs, 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.
 |
| WHO experts arrived 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 controls 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 made plans 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 routes 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.
 |
| Body temperature checks at airports and train stations in Wuhan. Photo: Da Chieu |
Governments around the world have begun responding 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 piers 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 prescribed cold medicine and sent home.
 |
| Locations where confirmed cases of the coronavirus were detected in Wuhan. Photo: CNN |
This outbreak has reminded many people of the SARS epidemic 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, information about human-to-human transmission has increased concerns about the new disease, combined with the massive movement of people in the coming weeks, which will make health officials and the public anxiously monitor how far this virus will spread.
Perhaps partly to reassure the people and international public opinion, earlier this week, in the first statement by a Chinese leader since the outbreak, President Xi Jinping asked the authorities to make “resolute efforts” to contain the spread of the disease. Mr. Xi also emphasized the need to put the safety and health of everyone as the top priority, while urging relevant departments and sectors to promptly provide information, along with close international cooperation to respond to the epidemic.
