Covid-19 emerging
A coronavirus
outbreak that emerged in China in December, and is now spreading into
other countries, has sickened more than ( 430,000) people and killed
more than ( 19,000 ). Public health officials are racing to contain the
pathogen, but this is not the first time the world has had to battle the
spread of a novel coronavirus. Here’s how the current situation compares
to past epidemics. The new coronavirus, which causes a disease called
COVID-19, was first reported in Wuhan, China. It has now spread to more
than 190 countries, including South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iran, and the
United States. The source of the virus has not been confirmed, but early
genetic analyses suggest that
the pathogen
likely originated in bats and was subsequently passed to an
intermediate animal before spilling over into humans
One factor that could contribute to the extent of damage that any new
coronavirus can cause is globalization. As infectious disease specialist
and WHO advisor Prof. David Heymann told Medical News in
an interview:
“In the past, coronaviruses that cause the common cold in humans also
emerged, possibly in the same way as did the current pandemic. But they
did not have the opportunity to hop on international flights and spread
rapidly around the globe,” he continued. “They likely circulated
locally and then gradually spread to neighboring countries and onward
throughout the world.”