Why risk bringing the coronavirus here?
Reading the papers over the past few weeks, one can’t help but feel a sense of impending doom.
What has brought this feeling on you ask – the coronavirus and the news that South Africa will be repatriating its citizens from Wuhan.
It has become a matter of when, not if we will be affected by the virus.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases, such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV).
A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.
“Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people.
“Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans.
“Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans,” says WHO.
The outbreak first began in the city of Wuhan in China last year.
At first, the government suppressed news of the outbreak before it became essential the whole country be put in lockdown.
The doctor who first warned about the strange new virus, Li Wenliang, died last month after contracting the very illness he had tried to raise the alarm about.
He joined the more than 600 other Chinese who have died in an outbreak that has now spread across the globe.
He joined the thousands who have since died after contracting the virus.
Before his death, Dr Li had already become a hero to the Chinese people after his treatment at the hands of authorities emerged.
In early January, he was called in by both medical officials and the police and was forced to sign a statement denouncing his warning as an unfounded and illegal rumor.
His death has turned him into a martyr, with many angry over the handling of the epidemic by the Chinese government.
There is a line of thought that says had the initial outbreak been handled better, the virus would not have spread as much as it did.
To date, more than 3 000 people have died from the new virus, while nearly 90 000 have been infected around the world.
There is no part of the world that has not been affected by the virus.
Over the next 10 days, just over 100 South Africans will be repatriated from Wuhan.
Upon arrival in South Africa, they will be quarantined for 21 days.
Our government has been keen to stress that none of the South Africans coming home has been showing symptoms of having the virus.
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
Even so, I am very wary of our health department’s ability to handle an epidemic of this magnitude.
Just look at our hospitals.
The people most at risk of contracting the virus are those with a compromised immune system.
In South Africa, we have one of the largest number of people with HIV and TB.
We would simply not cope with the epidemic, it would be catastrophic.
In China, the number of new cases being registered each day is declining, with only 206 new cases reported to WHO on Sunday.
In other parts of the world the number of new infections has been decreasing and Africa has remained largely unscathed, much to the surprise of health experts around the world.
While I understand the families of the people coming from China will be relieved to know they are home, is it really worth the risk to the rest of the population?
If it were up to me, I would have sent them my prayers, and let them stay in Wuhan.
Follow us on our social media platforms:
