The Novel Coronavirus and the Global Health Emergency
A new coronavirus, named 2019-nCoV, has caused an outbreak of respiratory illness that originated in Wuhan, China. As of February 1st, 304 people have died and 14,380 cases were confirmed in China. Outside of China, 23 places have more than 100 confirmed cases (New York Time 2020). The U.S. has eight confirmed cases (Gumbrecht 2020). The coronavirus is a respiratory virus believed to be spread through respiratory droplets from person to person. There’s a higher risk of becoming ill in healthcare workers, and the treatment available involves supportive care, in which just the symptoms are being treated (CDC 2020). The extent of transmission and the clinical disease of this viral infection has not been completely mapped out yet (Perlman 2020). In an effort to stop the outbreak, many health organizations and countries are keeping an eye on the situation and issuing warnings and emergencies.
Preventative measures are being taken into account in many countries around the world. Transport into, out of, and within Wuhan, China has been closed. People are also being screened as they leave China and enter different countries. Currently, the U.S. is monitoring JFK International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, O’Hare International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Vera 2020). The screening is difficult due to the fact that people can be contagious before they show any symptoms, such as a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing (Regan 2020). The U.S. State Department issued a Level 4 advisory for Wuhan, in which they recommend that Americans should not travel there (Vera 2020). The CDC has issued a Warning Level 3, in which Americans should avoid nonessential travel to China (CDC 2020).
Amongst the measures taken and worry about the outbreak, the World Health Organization had issued a statement on January 23rd that the Emergency Committee had decided situation currently did not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), although the situation was still considered urgent. When the Emergency Committee reconvened on January 30th, they made the decision to declare the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (WHO 2020). While the virus is continuing to spread, the act of declaring something a PHEIC is a serious matter. Trade and tourism can be negatively affected, and it might accidentally imply that a country cannot handle the disease (Solomon 2020). There are a lot of factors that go into making the decision, which is decided by an Emergency Committee and the WHO Director-General.
The Emergency Committee is a part of the 2005 International Health Regulations, which were formed after the 2003 SARS coronavirus outbreak. The two guidelines that mark a Public Health Emergency is the risk of international spread and the necessity of international action (Solomon 2020). While this is another coronavirus, it is different from the SARS outbreak of 2003. In 2003, the epidemic had been growing for months before authorities acknowledged the problem (Solomon 2020). The first case of this novel coronavirus is reported to have happened in December (Vera 2020). So far, the preventative measures have been put in place quickly. The virus has been sequenced already and shared within the scientific community. This leads to a better understanding of the virus, quick and reliable diagnostic tests, and antiviral treatments and vaccinations (Perlman 2020). Precautions have been put together very quickly, including airport screenings and quarantines. Since these measures have gone into effect, there have been five previous PHEIC declarations: H1N1 in 2009, wild poliovirus in 2014, Ebola in 2014, Zika in 2015-16, and the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Solomon 2020). All of these outbreaks were or are dangerous on an international level.
In the first report from the Emergency Committee, they also provided suggestions to the WHO and to the countries working to contain the outbreak. The Committee suggested a less binary system of declaring a PHEIC, and instead having a nuanced system that provides for more intermediate level of alert (WHO 2020). Proper public health emergency preparedness is extremely important for the population, whether at a community level or a global level. Being prepared involves prevention, mitigation, and recovery: the ability to handle the problem before, during, and afterwards. Key elements of preparedness in a community include health risk assessment, epidemiology and laboratory functions, mitigation strategies, mass health care, public information and communication, and a robust supply chain (Nelson 2007). Regardless of whether or not a formal emergency is declared, steps are already in place to help stop the outbreak from spreading and help the people who are sick. Countries are on alert, which helps to lower the chances of the outbreak spreading. As the situation progresses, it is important to maintain proper hygiene and to gather information from credible sources.
Works Cited
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). 2019 Novel Coronavirus, Wuhan, China. CDC. Accessed from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Gumbrecht, Jaime, Waldrop, Theresa, and Joward, Jacqueline. (February 1, 2020). Eighth US coronavirus case is college student in Boston. CNN. Accessed from https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/01/us/coronavirus-us-massachusetts/index.html
Nelson, Christopher, Lurie, Nicole, Wasserman, Jeffrey, and Zakowski, Sarah. (2007). Conceptualizing and Defining Public Health Emergency Preparedness. American Journal of Public Health 97, S9-11. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2007.114496
New York Times. (2020). Coronavirus Live Updates. New York Times. Accessed from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/02/world/asia/china-coronavirus.html#link-7bee28bf
Perlman, Stanley. (2020). Another Decade, Another Coronavirus. The New England Journal of Medicine. Web. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe2001126
Regan, Helen, George, Steve, McKenzie, Sheene, and Vera, Amir. (January 27, 2020). January 27 coronavirus news. CNN. Accessed from https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-01-27-20-intl-hnk/index.html
Solomon, Tom. (January 27, 2020). Coronavirus outbreak: WHO’s decision to not declare a global public health emergency explained. The Conversation. Accessed from http://theconversation.com/coronavirus-outbreak-whos-decision-to-not-declare-a-global-public-health-emergency-explained-130441
Vera, Amir. (January 28, 2020). US State Department charter flight to depart China amid coronavirus outbreak. CNN. Accessed from https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/28/health/coronavirus-cdc-us-evacuate-americans-china-tuesday/index.html
World Health Organization. (January 23, 2020). Statement on the meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). WHO. Accessed from https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/23-01-2020-statement-on-the-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-outbreak-of-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)
