Coronavirus declared PHEIC

International – Outbreaks of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) has been reported all over the world since it was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019.

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a broad family of viruses but only seven are known to infect people. The viruses cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). 
The nCoV is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.  

The nCoV is a zoonotic virus, which means that it is transmitted between animals and people. It spreads primarily through contact with an infected person through respiratory droplets generated when a person, for example, coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose.
On Wednesday 6  February more than 24,360 cases of the virus, with the death toll at 562 was detected in China alone.

There is a smaller number of cases in other countries around the globe and one person outside of mainland China has died of the disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) committee declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 31 January but they believe it is still possible to interrupt the virus spreading, provided that countries put in place strong measures for early detection, isolation, treatment and trace contacts.

In a press briefing on 29 January, minister of health doctor Zwelini Mkhize assured the public that South Africa is adequately prepared for active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread of nCoV infection and to share full data with the WHO and confirmed that South Africa has no reported or suspected cases to date.

The common signs of infection include fever, coughing and respiratory symptoms like shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. 

To date, there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat the nCoV. However, those infected with 2019-nCoV should receive appropriate care to relieve and treat symptoms, and those with severe illness should receive optimised supportive care. 

Some specific treatments are under investigation and will be tested through clinical trials. WHO is helping to coordinate efforts to develop medicines to treat nCoV with a range of partners.

Something to chew on: In South Africa, an estimated 57 people are murdered every day. Statistically, it currently exceeds the number of deaths caused by nCoV. Everyone is panicking about the virus but when will they start panicking about the violence in our country?