WHO: Coronavirus alert remains high in Asia but its spread is "unlikely"
Manila (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Asian nations must remain on guard against the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) and its potentially deadly effects, although the spread of the coronavirus pandemic on the continent is "unlikely ". This is according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), whose experts state that the disease "seems less infectious" than first thought.
However, nations are invited to remain on guard against a virus that has already killed 294 in Saudi Arabia alone and caused thousands of infections, raising fears of an epidemic.
WHO official sources also report that family members of infected people have not shown any sign of infection. The experts conclusion comes just one week after the alarm issued by the Philippine government, calling on Muslim citizens to carefully consider the necessity of preforming the Hajj, the traditional pilgrimage to Mecca, or whether they could postpone it. Saudi Arabia, home to the main holy places of Islam, was the nation where the virus was first unleashed, before it spread through Asia.
Mark Jacobs, WHO director of infectious diseases for the Western Pacific, said that the coronavirus has not until now been a big threat at a regional level, provided that particular mutations do not occur in the future.
To date there have been cases of Mers in 15 countries, with its epicenter the Arabian Peninsula. Beyond the peninsula there were outbreaks in the Philippines and Malaysia, with people who have contracted the virus after traveling in the Middle East. But there has been no further contamination allowing for its spread to be contained.
All necessary precautions to contain the virus remain in place, especially for Asian nationals who travel to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj who are invited to pay particular care to their personal hygiene and avoid contact with those showing suspected symptoms, such as coughing.
Researchers believe that the virus that causes the infection is transmitted
from animals. The main symptoms are a cough, fever and lung infection, but it does
not seem as contagious as the SARS epidemic that killed more than 800 people in
2003.
Last month a report by the New England Journal
of Medicine confirmed that the virus found in camels is identical to the one
contracted by camel owners. However, the link has not yet been proven, and some
researchers argue that there may be another source; So far the WHO does not
recommend travel or trade restrictions, but warns people from drinking raw camel
milk, and invited people to make sure all meat is well cooked.
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09/11/2019 09:10
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