Environment

China has enforced a travel ban to Wuhan and restricted travel between the provinces amid the Coronavirus breakout. On Jan 8, Researchers on further investigations found that Coronavirus pathogen was behind 59 people in Wuhan suspiciously falling ill. The Authorities declared an Animal and Seafood Market in Wuhan as the epicenter. The market was immediately closed and sanitation was carried out. But the virus that broke-out in China has spread close to 12 countries including the US, Australia, South Korea, Japan and France. The Virus has claimed 56 lives and more than 1900 people in Wuhan are feared to have been infected. Airports and Railway stations are put on a high alert and intense screening is being carried out. This breakout comes when China was preparing to celebrate its Lunar New Year, spoiling the festive season for 1.9 billion people. The WHO has issued a statement praising China for identifying the strand of the Virus and sharing it with the WHO but, did not declare the Corona Virus as Global Health Emergency. China has commissioned a hospital to be built within 6 days in Wuhan for treating the infected. Learning from the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) that broke out in 2003, China has proactively countered the situation at hand. It also raises a question on the credibility of the data provided by the Chinese Government. There is also a possibility that the Chinese Authorities are projecting deflated figures regarding the number of deaths and infected cases to prevent anxiety among its people.

What is Coronavirus?

The Coronavirus has been named for its protruding tentacles coming out of its membranes resembling the Sun’s Corona. There is no vaccine to treat this virus however, the genetic sequence of this virus has been discovered by the Chinese scientists and this can speed up the process of building a vaccine to fight this virus. The Coronavirus affects the lungs and causes respiratory disorders. Coronavirus is primarily believed to have originated from animals and then transmitted to people. The Virus has now spread among people and even the medical professionals treating the infected patients have contracted the virus making it even more difficult to treat it. The symptoms of the Coronavirus resemble that of a flu in its mild form and include gastro-intestinal problems in its severe form.

The Chinese Authorities have taken strict measures to contain this outbreak. Public transports have been stopped and large public gatherings have been banned. People have been ordered to wear masks at all times in order to prevent the spreading of the virus. The Governments around the world are strictly screening the patients arriving from China and monitoring them.

Impact of the Coronavirus Outbreak:

China’s already declining population might be affected even more if this epidemic continues to spread. The Lockdown will also halt the economic activities of the country leading to severely affect the global supply chain. The Chinese Government will be diverting a large part of its resources towards containing this outbreak which might cause a slump in its ambitious BRI. The virus has already spread to many other countries. There has been a shortage of masks and protective gears owing to the outbreak. Children and the Elderly with weak immune system are vulnerable to this virus.

Climate Change angle:

With Climate Change and raising global temperatures many more viruses that are trapped in the frozen soil are expected to be exposed to the atmosphere. Increasing surface temperature of oceans may lead to bacteria boom in oceans and affecting the marine life and our seafood! The world must either act towards stopping climate change or face the outbreak of dangerous pathogens.