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A man in protective gear in a
nearly empty street in Beijing. The
coronavirus outbreak has prompted
many Chinese to stay indoors.
There’s no cure for
thedeadlyvirus
sweeping China
and spreading BOARD UP
panic across
the world A GERM’
COMPILED BY JANE VORSTER
HOLE cities under “It’s a public health experiment, the How does it spread?
lockdown, medics scale of which hasn’t been done before,” As the majority of the first cases of 2019-
in masks and pro- says Dr William Schaffner, an infectious nCoV involved people who’d visited a
tective suits, and disease expert at Vanderbilt University in seafood, poultry and live wildlife market
people dropping the US. “Logistically, it’s stunning, and it in Wuhan, it’s thought the virus might
like flies as an un- was done so quickly.” have been spread by infected animals –
stoppable virus But sadly, not quickly enough. possibly bats or snakes.
Wc ontinu e s to With more than 80 deaths reported at All kinds of live exotic wildlife are sold
spread, leaving death and chaos in its the time of going to print, around 2 800 at rural Chinese food markets alongside
wake. people infected and the virus recorded regular meat, making these markets the
For years health experts have been in 10 countries, it was abundantly clear perfect incubators for coronaviruses.
warning it was just a matter of time be- they were fighting a losing battle. Once these germs infect humans, they
fore the world was hit by a global pan- “You can’t board up a germ,” says spread just like regular flu viruses – for
demic. And now, as a mysterious virus Lawrence O Gostin, a director of the instance from coughs and sneezes, close
wreaks havoc in China, leaping conti- World Health Organisation Collaborating personal contact such as touching or
nents at breakneck speed, many are Centre on National and Global Health shaking hands, or from a surface that has
wondering if that day has arrived. Law. “It will get out. It always does.” viral particles.
One thing’s for sure: world health au-
thorities are taking it seriously. After the What is this new virus? What are the symptoms?
first cases were reported in January, It’s officially known as 2019-nCoV but It’s a respiratory condition but compared
Chinese officials sprang into action. They most people are referring to it as the to Sars, for instance, the early symptoms
cordoned off Wuhan, the epicentre of the Wuhan virus. This is a strain that belongs are actually quite mild. In fact, many
outbreak, along with 12 other cities – to the coronavirus family, which is usu- people who get it might not notice they
effectively putting around 56 million ally carried by animals and sometimes even have it. It usually doesn’t trigger any
people in quarantine. spreads to humans. of the traditional upper respiratory tract
And as the panic continues to spread The world got a glimpse of the havoc symptoms such as a runny nose, sneez-
in the world’s most populous country, such viruses can cause in 2002 with se- ing and a sore throat. Instead, it causes a
other major cities such as Beijing and vere acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), dry cough and fever.
Shanghai have started to resemble ghost which started in China and spread to 37 But for some it can develop into
towns, with citizens staying off the countries, infecting around 8 000 people breathing difficulties, viral pneumonia
streets to avoid the risk of exposure. and causing 750 fatalities. and in severe cases, organ failure.
14 | 6 FEBRUARY 2020 you.co.za
