- A new virus, similar to that of SARS, appeared a few weeks ago in China, where several hundred people contracted it.
- This coronavirus has so far caused the death of six people.
- Several cases have been detected in Japan, Thailand and South Korea, raising fears of a worldwide spread of the virus.
A balance sheet which is getting heavier, and a virus which seems to be escaping the control of the authorities. Appeared for the first time in December in China, the mysterious pneumonia has so far killed more than 300 people and caused the death of 6 people. And has crossed the borders of China, raising the specter of a global contagion. The World Health Organization (WHO) will meet this Wednesday to determine whether to declare a "public health emergency of international concern".
What is this virus and how is it spread?
The strain currently plaguing Asia has never been seen before. It is a new type of coronavirus, a family with a large number of viruses ranging from colds to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). This new virus, which appeared in mid-December in China, has its epicenter in the city of Wuhan, a regional capital of China, and more specifically a fish and seafood market, where it seems that other types of living animals were sold, and closed since for decontamination. The first patients identified are sellers who work in this market, and who were probably contaminated by these animals. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the animal seems to be "the most probable primary source" of this epidemic.
If at first, the path of human-to-human contagion was not privileged, this Monday, Zhong Nanshan, a Chinese scientist of the National Health Commission, said that the transmission by contagion between people was "proven". It is the first time that such an assertion has been made publicly. "Today we have evidence to confirm that contamination between humans is possible and has occurred," said Professor Yazdan Yazdanpanah, head of the Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department at Bichat Hospital, at 20 Minutes , in Paris. This virus is 80% similar to that of SARS. And depending on the age and state of health of the infected patient, it can cause different symptoms, ranging from signs of a simple cold to those of the flu, or even pneumonia. A fragile person can develop a severe form of this virus ”.
Where is this new coronavirus rife?
China on Tuesday recorded 77 new cases, bringing the total to nearly 300, while the disease caused three new deaths in Wuhan, in the center of the country, the epicenter of the epidemic. This brings the number of people killed by this virus to six. For the moment entitled “2019-nCoV”, this new coronavirus has crossed the borders of the Middle Kingdom and infected several other people in Japan, South Korea and Thailand. For the moment, 922 patients are under observation in Chinese hospitals, according to figures communicated by the health authorities.
Taiwan announced Tuesday that it has registered a first case, a Taiwanese woman from Wuhan. This woman, in her fifties, arrived with a fever, coughing and a sore throat at the airport in the capital, Taipei, where she herself informed the quarantine officers of these symptoms, said the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Some 46 passengers and crew members of the plane in which she traveled were to undergo examinations.
In the Philippines, authorities sought on Tuesday to determine the pathology of a 5-year-old child recently arrived from China, and which could be the first known case in the country. The child arrived on January 12 from Wuhan, and has since been hospitalized with flu-like symptoms. If it is proven that he has a viral disease, the authorities do not know if it is this new coronavirus. "The child is considered an investigated patient," said Philippine Minister of Health Francisco Duque.
What measures are in place to prevent a worldwide spread of this virus, which is close to SARS?
In 2003, there were 8,096 cases of SARS, which killed 774 people worldwide, including 349 in mainland China and 299 in Hong Kong, according to WHO. The international organization at the time strongly criticized Beijing for having delayed raising the alarm and trying to conceal the extent of the epidemic. However, the management of this type of virus has evolved a lot since the SARS epidemic: "We have learned the lessons of this pandemic and are today much better organized, reassures Professor Yazdanpanah. The most important and urgent thing, faced with this type of situation, is to be able to detect infected people as soon as possible ”. China has already shared with the international scientific community the genomic sequencing of the new coronavirus. "For the past ten days, we have therefore known how to identify this virus, which is decisive in preventing its spread," continues the infectious disease specialist. As soon as an individual from an area where the virus is rife has respiratory symptoms associated with it, it should immediately be placed in quarantine. ” For example, Beijing announced on Tuesday that it is classifying the epidemic as the same as SARS, and has ordered compulsory isolation for those diagnosed with the disease.
“We have to take this situation very seriously, and make sure that an effective detection system is in place. To date, we do not have any specific treatment or vaccine against this virus, says Professor Yazdanpanah. We can simply provide symptomatic treatment to relieve the manifestations of the disease ”. If the latest reports indicate hundreds of people affected, "in reality, the figures could be much higher," says Professor Yazdanpanah. Especially since only the most severe cases come to the hospital. Others, in whom the virus can manifest itself by symptoms close to a simple cold, will not make the link and will not have the process of consulting a doctor. In addition, a work of modeling of the virus, carried out by our English colleagues, table on an estimate of at least 1,700 people contaminated to date ”.
Faced with this global health risk, many Asian countries have strengthened their controls on Tuesday. From Bangkok to Hong Kong, from Singapore to Sydney, the authorities carry out systematic checks on the arrival of flights from risk areas. In Vietnam, a country bordering China, the Ministry of Health has declared a "high risk of infection" and ordered reinforced controls at its northern border, an intense crossing point between the two countries. The Thai authorities have set up mandatory thermal detections at Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi airports for passengers from Chinese risk areas. In a statement, the Thai Minister of Health, Anutin Charnvirakul, announced that these passengers were screened "without exception", and placed under observation in quarantine for 24 hours if they show signs of fever. This vigilance is all the more important at the dawn of a crossover in transport on the occasion of the Chinese New Year this Saturday, which raises fears of an acceleration of contamination.
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