Dr Pete Vincent of Netcare Travel Clinics says that while the World Health Organisation (WHO) has now declared the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency
The ongoing spread of the coronavirus across China and other parts of the world has raised global concern.
This has left many South Africans wondering if they are at risk locally and how best they can keep themselves safe from possible infection, particularly while travelling internationally.
Dr Pete Vincent of Netcare Travel Clinics strongly recommends everyone, and especially those travelling internationally, take precautions against contracting the illness and that non-essential travel to China be postponed at this time.
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WHO indicates that the majority of coronavirus cases have been reported in the Hubei province in China, where the outbreak started and has been linked to a seafood, poultry and live wildlife market, the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in the province’s Jianghan district.
To date a number of confirmed cases, of which the majority were ‘exported cases’ with a travel history from the Chinese province, have been reported in a number of countries around the world, including Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, India, the Philippines, the United States of America, Germany, Italy, Finland and France.
Primary transmission
“While human-to-human transmission of the virus has been reported, it would seem animal-to-human transmission remains the primary mode for the spreading of the virus.
“However, the fact that some people appear to suffer only mild illness as a result of infection, while others have become severely sick, has made it difficult for global health authorities to establish the exact extent to which the virus is being passed between people and even the true numbers of people who may have been infected,” says Vincent.
“In addition, there are concerns that the virus could become more contagious than it currently appears to be, and global and local health surveillance agencies, including the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) and South African Department of Health in South Africa, therefore remain vigilant.”
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Signs and symptoms
Those who have fallen ill from the coronavirus reportedly suffer coughs, fever and breathing problems. The virus can cause severe respiratory difficulties and lead to pneumonia, sepsis and even organ failure in severe cases. As is the case with other viral infections, antibiotics are not an effective means of treatment and it appears that people who are in poor health are at greatest risk of complications from the infection. WHO reports that the current estimates of the incubation period of the virus range from two to 10 days.
Netcare fully prepared
The NICD reports it has, together with the National Department of Health, developed and distributed clinical guidelines and case definitions for doctors and nurses in both the public and the private sectors to ensure improved detection, identification and response to any possible case of imported coronavirus infection.
Dr Anchen Laubscher, group medical director of Netcare, of which Springs’ N17 Hospital is a part, says while there are as yet no patients with suspected or confirmed coronavirus in South Africa or in Africa, the Netcare Group has, as per normal, taken the necessary steps to ensure its readiness in responding to and managing any cases should the need arise, as well as to risk assess all admissions for possible exposure to the virus.
“Netcare has developed a set of comprehensive clinical risk assessment pathways in consultation with the NICD.
“These are used routinely and diligently as a precautionary measure by our emergency medical personnel, doctors and hospital staff to assess any patient who may have been exposed to risk factors associated with the coronavirus.
“These clinical pathways comprehensively cover the risk assessment of these patients as well as their possible need for further management.
“Health-care operations within the Netcare Group continue to co-operate closely with the Department of Health, the NICD and the National Health Laboratory Services in their efforts to monitor and prevent the spread of infections such as coronavirus in South Africa,” Laubscher concludes.
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