THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The outbreak of novel Coronavirus (nCoV) 2019 in Wuhan City in China has put the health wing of the state on high alert. The state health department which got an alert from the Union Health Ministry on Saturday has initiated steps to deal with any medical emergencies. Meanwhile, the department stated that it is yet to screen airline passengers at any of the four international airports in the state.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). “The outbreak was mainly concentrated in Wuhan. But some positive cases have also been reported from Japan and Thailand. The new cases are a result of the movement of people from affected areas. This is a matter of concern for the state,” said an officer of the health department. According to the officer, as a significant number of students from Kerala are studying in various universities in China, the state health wing has to step up its vigilance.
Dr Amar Fettle, nodal officer, Public Health Emergency of International Concern, said: “The state health wing has received an alert against 2019-nCoV from the Regional Office of Health and Family Welfare under the ministry. But the alert is to remain vigilant. Also, no screening of airline passengers has been suggested.” The officer further added: “The first procedure after receiving an alert is the identification of hospitals for dealing with any medical emergencies. Also, the district surveillance officers have been asked to look for any unusual events or health rumours in their respective districts.” Meanwhile, Amar also added that so far the risk levels remain low.
After a review meeting the other day, Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan, had stated that public health preparedness is being reviewed on a day-to-day basis and the core capacities to timely detect and manage transmission of the nCoV into the country are being strengthened further. She also added that the situation is being monitored in consultation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and keeping in view the limited human-to-human transmission, the risk at the global level is perceived to be low.According to WHO, the common signs of nCoV include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, it can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome and others. At the same time, the WHO also stated that there is no specific treatment for nCoV. So far two deaths have been reported from China due to the disease.