Andrew Sheng

Opinion | Viral connectivity means we all have to accept the threat of disease and disaster

In an increasingly interconnected world, those of us who enjoy the fruits of globalisation must also bear its risks: climate crisis, drug resistance and emerging epidemics. As the Wuhan outbreak shows, we must work together

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A member of a medical team leaving for Wuhan says goodbye to a loved one in Urumqi on January 28. Instead of looking for blame, we should be throwing our support behind the selfless doctors, nurses and other medical staff risking their lives to contain the outbreak. Photo: Xinhua

Andrew Sheng

Published: 6:30am, 1 Feb 2020Updated: 7:00am, 1 Feb 2020

Returning from London, I landed at airports that seem to be from outer space, with everyone in masks and health inspectors in what looked like spacesuits. The World Health Organisation has warned that the world must be better prepared against the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus, which has infected thousands worldwide and killed over 200 in China.

“Virus” comes from the Latin word meaning “poison”. Coronaviruses belong to a family of viruses responsible for illnesses from the common cold to the Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers), and the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) that hit Hong Kong hard in 2003.

Sars, which left more than 8,000 infected in 29 countries and 774 dead, was thought to have spread from bats to civet cats and then to humans. The latest coronavirus outbreak reportedly spread from a market in Wuhan that sold seafood and live animals.

There is considerable fear and misinformation about viral pandemics. To put things in perspective, the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa has more than 3,000 confirmed infections and a mortality rate of about 66 per cent, compared to around 2 per cent for the Wuhan coronavirus.

Knowing how viruses operate may help allay such fears. A life form that is lower than a cell, a virus replicates by infecting the cells of a living host such as a plant, animal or human. Viruses that kill their hosts too quickly or kill too many hosts do not last long either, so eventually, viruses become less fatal, and immunity is conferred.