Coronavirus: global health crisis

Coronavirus killer threat spreads - 10th February 2020

The deadly virus, 2019 Novel Coronavirus, previously unknown to science, has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation.

First detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December, it has now spread to 26 countries and is of great concern to health officials around the world. Experts anticipate infection rates to rise and the disease to spread more widely. Its incubation period lasts up to 14 days, increasing the likelihood of people spreading the disease, unaware that they have been infected.

With around one in five cases thought to be severe, and scientists saying that each infected person is passing the virus on to two or three people, Coronavirus will not disappear without a concerted international effort to prevent infection. Symptoms begin with a fever and then a dry cough, leading to shortness of breath and possibly pneumonia, which can require hospital treatment.

Chinese authorities initially denied that the virus could pass between people and delayed vital decisions to contain the disease, which have since included shutting down cities and building new hospitals for those infected.

Viruses constantly cross species and are detected when they transfer to humans or livestock. Although many early cases of Novel Coronavirus were linked to a seafood market, the first case, traced back to 1st December, has no link to the Wuhan market. Within the Coronavirus family, only six strains had previously been known to infect humans.

The only means to prevent the virus is to eliminate human-to-human infection. This requires massive state involvement and public health controls including limiting movement, frequent hand washing, infection control measures, isolating the sick, and medical staff wearing protective clothing. It will also require a huge epidemiological effort to identify and check people who have been exposed to the virus.