LETTER | We have lived through several pandemics, and from the looks of it, we can and will get through this one too.
| Recently, a petition with over 350,000 signatures has been going around calling for a ban on people from China travelling into Malaysia. The intent is to supposedly protect the Malaysian people.
The time for containment of this disease within the geographical borders of a country has long passed. It may have been possible months ago but the barnyard doors are wide open now. The virus is already moving rapidly across the globe, thanks to air travel and the holiday season. WHO’s recent Emergency Committee meeting, which reviewed current reports and recognised the urgency of the situation, decided to hold off declaring the ongoing situation as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern , which imposes a legal duty on member states to act. The 2009 H1N1 pandemic, 2014 polio declaration, 2014 Western Africa outbreak of Ebola, Zika virus epidemic in 2015-16, and 2019 Kivu Ebola epidemic were previously declared as such.
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome emerged from Saudi Arabia in 2012 and is still spreading today. It has been found in 27 countries, including Malaysia. More than 2,500 people have been infected. There have been around 860 deaths, which has led to a fatality rate of around 35 percent. There is no treatment available, and there is no vaccine.
Make no mistake. This is a serious epidemic. We should not downplay it or trivialise concerns. Like all its brother coronaviruses, this novel one will move around the globe. People will be infected, treated and there will be deaths. Absolutely.
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