The Ministry of Health has stepped up its precautionary health measures at Lima’s Jorge Chavez airport, following a statement by the World Health Organisation, WHO, that the coronavirus Covid-19 could become a pandemic. The government has also assigned an emergency budget for laboratory work and patient care, through the national Center for Epidemiology and Disease Control and Prevention.
The virus was first reported December last year in Wuhan, in the province of Hubei in China. Since then, cases of the virus have been reported in Hong Kong, South Korea, Iran and most recently in Italy. A few cases have also been reported in the United States.
In Lima, three Chinese travelers and their Peruvian interpreter were hospitalized for observation in January, and a Chinese tourist in Cusco was also hospitalized. All patients were released when symptoms proved negative. No further cases have been reported.
In China, more than 80,000 cases have been reported and more than 2,700 people have died.
The virus, unlike the related virus SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) acts like influenza and a person may harbor the virus for up to two weeks before showing any symptoms. This increases the dangers that the disease can spread widely before any warning signs are noticed. Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
“We need to concentrate on stopping the epidemic at the same time as we do everything possible to prepare for an eventual pandemia,” said Tedros Adhanom, president of the World Health Organisation, in Geneva.
WHO reports that older people are the most vulnerable and also people whose defenses are low from other diseases. Hygiene is the principle preventative —frequent hand washing, especially after being in public places, and covering one’s mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
