Joy St John, head of CARPHA, said that the risk of a new and mysterious strain of coronavirus in the Caribbean is low, but she called on public health officials to be prepared.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the new epidemic was identified by the Chinese authorities in the city of Wuhan and so far 26 deaths and 853 people with pneumonia have been confirmed in this Asian country.
Since the original notice two weeks ago, there have been records of cases in nations such as Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and the United States.
«CARPHA is monitoring the unfolding of the situation and working closely with its international health partners to respond to this threat to health and provide timely advice and support to the preparedness activities of the Caribbean Member States,» St John said.
WHO data indicate that coronavirus can cause a common cold and more serious diseases, such as the Middle East respiratory syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome.
It causes respiratory conditions, fever, cough and shortness of breath in patients. Meanwhile, in severe cases, the infection causes pneumonia, kidney failure and even death.
The head of CARPHA said that this Caribbean institution is aware of the fact that this is an early stage of the outbreak and is waiting for clarity about the characterization of the virus’s behavior, including the severity of the infection and the level of transmissibility.
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