Strict monitoring at airports, ports stressed to keep coronavirus at bay

Published February 8, 2020
The event was jointly organised by the centre and Virtual Education Project Pakistan. — AFP/File
The event was jointly organised by the centre and Virtual Education Project Pakistan. — AFP/File

KARACHI: Given the threat of novel coronavirus, there is an immediate need to put in place effective monitoring systems at airports and ports for incoming passengers as well as livestock and goods. People at airports should be scanned for temperature and suspected individuals should be examined in isolation, said a senior researcher in his lecture at Karachi University (KU) on Friday.

Dr Muhammad Rashid associated with the National Institute of Virology, part of KU’s Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD), was speaking at a public awareness seminar.

The event was jointly organised by the centre and Virtual Education Project Pakistan.

Sharing how the outbreak affected China and spread to other countries, Dr Rashid said the first case of the new virus was reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year while the first death outside China was reported in the Philippines.

A recent cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, he pointed out, was caused by the same virus.

“The WHO has declared the outbreak a global emergency. The best we can do in this situation is to put monitoring and surveillance systems in place and educate citizens on how to protect themselves against the potential threat of the virus,” he said.

Citizens were advised to wash their hands frequently and thoroughly for at least 20 seconds and use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water was not available.

“If someone has travelled to China within 14 days, they must contact their healthcare provider. Citizens should cough and sneeze in a tissue and avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands,” he said.

Higher infection rate

A day earlier, the Ziauddin University also organised a seminar on the same subject where speakers shared that there were more than 24,000 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus’ infection so far and approximately 490 deaths in China alone (the toll has since crossed 600). The virus had spread to 25 countries.

“In 2002, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) emerged in Southern China and spread to 30 countries. In 2009 H1N1 influenza strain emerged in Mexico and caused worldwide panic. In 2012, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) emerged in Saudi Arabia [and] spread to 27 countries. In 2014, Ebola virus broke out in three West African countries,” said Dr Sara Salman, head of WHO’s sub office- Sindh.

On the origin of coronavirus, she said it was identified as the source of the illnesses on January 7 with the infection traced to Wuhan seafood market that also sold live animals.

The data shared by Dr Samreen Sarfaraz, an expert on infectious diseases at the Indus Hospital, showed that though coronavirus had much lower fatality rate as compared to MERS and SARS, it had higher infection/transmission rate.

“MERS had 2,494 cases, 858 deaths and 37 per cent mortality rate. SARS had 8,098 cases, 774 deaths and 10pc mortality rate whereas coronavirus so far has 24,530 confirmed cases, 493 deaths and two to three per cent mortality rate.

“It spreads person-to-person among close contacts via respiratory droplets. Touching a surface that has the virus on it and then touching one’s own mouth, nose, or eyes can easily make you a coronavirus patient.”

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2020

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