The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Traveler may have exposed dozens to virus
LONDON >> A businessman from England who vacationed in the Alps illustrated how the ease of international travel is complicating global efforts to track and contain the new coronavirus that emerged in China.
From the Singapore hotel where he is believed to have picked up the virus during a conference, to a ski resort in the French Alps and a pub in his hometown of Hove on the southern coast of England, as well as the flights he took on his way back to Britain, the man came in contact with dozens of other people, potentially infecting them before he was diagnosed and hospitalized. Health officials are hunting for them.
Already, five Britons who stayed with him at a chalet in the Alps have been diagnosed with the virus, including a 9-year-old boy. Another man who stayed at the resort was discovered infected after returning to his home on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
The ease of the virus spread raises concern some of the 90 others who attended the conference may also have been infected and “may go on to initiate chains of infection in their home countries,” said Dr. Nathalie MacDermott, a clinical lecturer at King’s College London.
The World Health Organization warned that given the relatively small cluster so far, it would be unfair and an exaggeration to characterize the businessman as a
“super-spreader,” or someone who infects an unusually large number of people. And this is by no means the only cluster seen in the outbreak.
Another small one, for example, was tied to a Chinese woman who traveled to a meeting at a German auto parts company. The virus spread to a dozen employees and their family members in Germany.
Still, the case of this single traveler from England underscores the importance of quick cross-border information-sharing and detective work to find other people potentially exposed.
The virus has infected more than 40,000 people globally and killed over 900, with the overwhelming majority of cases in China. It is unclear exactly how it is transmitted, but experts think it is spread mostly by droplets when people cough or sneeze. Health officials warn that it can take up to 14 days for those who have been exposed to show symptoms.
Most people have only mild symptoms such as a fever and runny nose. But some develop pneumonia. Those who fallen severely ill have been mostly over 60 with other health problems.
WHO’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the spread of the virus among people like the British businessman who haven’t been to China is concerning.
“The detection of the small number of cases could be the spark that becomes a bigger fire, but for now it’s only a spark,” he said. “Our objective remains containment. We call on all countries to use the window of opportunity we have to prevent a bigger fire.”
The story of the British man begins with a business conference like so many that take place all over the world as multinational corporations and groups bring together employees, clients and others to share information, sell products and enjoy all-expenses-paid getaways.
The man, who hasn’t been identified publicly, flew to Singapore for a Jan. 20-22 event sponsored by his employer, Servomex. The company, based in a two-story industrial building in the town of Crowborough, 35 miles south of London, makes industrial sensors sold around the world.
In a statement, Servomex said “a limited number of its employees in different countries have been diagnosed with the coronavirus and are now being treated.”
The Grand Hyatt Singapore, a five-star hotel with 677 guest rooms, said Singapore’s Ministry of Health informed it that three people who attended the conference experienced symptoms after returning to their home countries of Malaysia and South Korea and have now been diagnosed with the virus.
The hotel said 94 foreigners stayed at the Grand Hyatt at the same time as the Servomex conference, including people from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicenter of the outbreak. The hotel said it is now deep-cleaning guest rooms, meeting spaces, restaurants, the fitness center and other public areas.