Chinese infected with incompetence

Panama, 1890s: The French effort to construct a canal linking the oceans failed miserably. The main culprit was malaria, with thousands dying at the rate of more than 200 per month.

A cure wasn’t discovered because researchers didn’t understand the disease vector, and, therefore, were looking in all the wrong places. In a particularly ironic move — with devastating consequences — many scientists and project personnel declared that malaria was spread by ants. To combat this, they placed all bed legs in buckets of water. The theory was that “malaria ants” would drown as they attempted to make their way up the beds. Not only were they dead wrong, literally, but their countless buckets of water became perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes — the real vector for malaria. That blindness allowed the mosquito population to explode, perpetuating the cycle of death.

So how is it that, over a hundred years later, with our unparalleled scientific knowledge, we are making the same kind of mistakes?

The answer is human nature, particularly a combination of hubris and lack of common sense. Ebola never became a global pandemic, nor went “viral” in America, because we had Lady Luck on our side. In other words, we emerged relatively unscathed in spite — not because — of our efforts to combat it.

But with the new coronavirus emanating from Hubei Province in China now reaching across the globe, with more cases reported each hour, we may not be so lucky this time. And because China, the U.S. and the world community failed to act quickly by not implementing timely containment protocols, and continued espousing contradictory statements, the cat is out of the bag.

China wasn’t forthcoming with its own people, let alone the rest of the world. No surprise there. We can talk all day about how its culture believes admitting mistakes is taboo, but that’s no excuse when lives are at stake — potentially millions if this coronavirus, or the next one, evolves into a pandemic.

But Chinese dishonesty is nothing new. In 2003, the government finally disclosed the existence of the nefarious SARS virus to the World Health Organization (WHO) a full three months after SARS had been spreading unchecked. Even after disclosure, Chinese leaders strongly discouraged its national media from reporting on SARS, withheld or fabricated medical reports to WHO, and even hid SARS patients from WHO inspectors.

Not much has changed. Despite the ability to detect such viruses from an early stage — and thus share that information with people in affected regions, as well as other countries — China sat on its hands. By remaining silent for the first three weeks after this coronavirus surfaced, China allowed it to spread to such an extent that back-tracking investigations are now impossible.

Wuhan has a staggering 11 million people (2.5 million more than New York) where many live in close proximity to each other. On top of that, millions have been traveling throughout China for lunar New Year celebrations.

Those conditions create an ideal breeding ground for such an aggressive virus, especially given its stealthy 14-day incubation period where no symptoms are exhibited (yet the infected are likely contagious). Add in air travel, which can transport viruses around the world in mere hours, and you have a perfect storm.

So whether it’s ignorance spreading disease, such as in Panama, or a deliberate coverup, the result is the same.

Many wonder where this new strain originated. The standard answer is a massive seafood and exotic animal market in Hubei Province, but not so fast. While not necessarily likely, don’t be surprised if, at some point, evidence points to an accidental release from a nearby bio-weapons lab.

But assuming the market to be the source, several points: First, the animal reservoir (where the virus resides) is being hotly debated. Some scientists believe it is snakes, while other think it may be livestock or bats. But there are so many animals in that market, both carcasses and alive — from ostrich to bamboo rats to cicadas — that it will take an exorbitant amount of work to determine the carrier. Second, SARS also originated in such animals. As a result of that epidemic, China has been pressured to outlaw such exotic markets to avoid another outbreak. Unfortunately for the world, it has not done so. The result speaks for itself. Given that human life hangs in the balance, this demand should be at the very top of trade negotiations with the Chinese.

Accomplish that, and we’ll be on our way to dealing with Corona the right way — with a lime.