Virus ‘is like flu that killed 50m’
THE killer Chinese virus that has claimed 17 lives could be as deadly as Spanish flu that once killed 50 million people, an expert has warned.
By yesterday there were around 473 cases of the SARS-like coronavirus confirmed by authorities in China.
The Department of Health announced that passengers arriving from Wuhan, where it originated, will be isolated on arrival and checked.
And the Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to the city, and urged Britons in China “to remain vigilant”.
Pandemic
Wuhan is to close local and longdistance passenger transport at 10am today and officials are advising citizens not to leave the city.
Cases have also been reported in Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the US with two suspected in Russia.
Professor Neil Ferguson, an infectious disease expert at Imperial College London, said the two per cent ratio of deaths to confirmed cases as of yesterday suggested the virus could be as deadly as the flu strain that killed 50 million people. He said: “A two per cent case mortality rate is comparable to the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, so it is a significant concern globally.”
The coronavirus causes a fever, fatigue, sore throat, a dry cough and, in severe cases, difficulty breathing.
This type has never been identified before and is easily spread, particularly as we lack natural immunity.
Experts said the true numbers infected in Wuhan could be 10,000. It takes around 10 days after infection to be diagnosed, so many may not yet have visited a doctor or hospital.
Three direct flights arrive at Heathrow from Wuhan each week. Public Health England said all passengers will be monitored in an isolated area of Heathrow’s Terminal 4. Dr Nick Phin, of PHE’s National Infection Service, admitted it was a “rapidly evolving situation” but added: “Based on the available evidence, the current risk to the UK is considered low.”
However, Prof Ferguson said border screening “should not be seen as a panacea”. He added: “If somebody was infected two days before they travelled, they will arrive without any symptoms at all.”
The World Health Organisation delayed a decision on declaring an international emergency until today because it needed more information.