The worst pandemic in modern history was the Spanish flu of 1918, which killed tens of millions of people. Today, with how interconnected the world is, it would spread faster.
– BILL GATES, AMERICAN SOFTWARE DEVELOPER, INVESTOR, AND PHILANTHROPIST
An epidemic as defined as the rapid spread of infectious disease to a large number of people in a given population within a short period of time in a region or within a country’s boundary.
When an epidemic crosses boundaries, it becomes a pandemic, a bigger ‘nightmare version’ — meaning the spread of an infectious disease across continents, or even worldwide.
Communicable diseases have existed since time immemorial. The more ‘civilised’ we became, the more pandemics broke out. This is because the more we opened up trade routes and travel between nations, the faster the diseases spread.
In our modern globalised world where we can jet between countries within a short space of time, we have also become more vulnerable.
According to research, the earliest recorded pandemic was in 430 BC during the Peloponnesian War when the disease passed through Libya, Ethiopia, Egypt then crossing into Athens while Sparta laid siege. An estimated 100,000 people, two-thirds of the population died, from what was suspected to have been typhoid fever.
Some other documented pandemics were the Cyprian Plague 250 AD, the Justinian Plague 541 AD, leprosy in the 11th century and the Black Death which killed an estimated 100 million people in the 14th century.
In 1665, the Great Plague of London killed about 100,000 of a total population of 460,000. It is also estimated that some 56 million Native Americans died from infectious diseases carried by Europeans in the 16th and 17th centuries.
In 1855, the Third Plague Pandemic started in Yunnan, China and moved to India and Hong Kong. This bubonic plague claimed 15 million victims. The 1918, Spanish Flu, an avian-borne flu said to have originated in China resulted in 50 million deaths worldwide. In 1957 there was the Asian flu and in 1981 onwards the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Cholera, influenza, typhus, smallpox, measles, tuberculosis, leprosy, malaria, yellow fever, ebola virus, zika virus, SARS, MERS, H5N1 (avian flu) all have ravaged this planet across the centuries and now we have another potential pandemic.
It is called the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). It was first detected in mid-December 2019. Our Health Ministry has confirmed there are four cases in Malaysia.
For the moment, there is no vaccine available or known cure. Therefore, the only way to contain it is by having no contact with carriers and using public health prevention methods.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a federal agency of the United States of America, the 2019-nCoV is a coronavirus identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness.
The disease was first detected in Wuhan in Hubei Province, China. There are apparent links to an animal market there, suggesting the animal-to-person virus spread via the consumption of wildlife. It is believed to have spread from person to person and is airborne.
So, what are we in Malaysia doing about it? Our Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is reported to have said that the situation here is not at a critical point and there is no need to stop Chinese tourists from entering the country.
Is this not too much of a carefree approach or is it due to the business interest of tourist operators? I am all for looking out for business interest, as this is what creates jobs, keeps the economy going, etc.
Surely, a 100 per cent weightage in the decision-making process should be given to human lives. An economy can recover in due time, but lives once lost are gone forever. Too often in such situations, the individual or families lose out to the powerful business lobby.
In the meantime, it would be prudent for our enforcement agencies to keep a close eye on the numerous centres in Sarawak that deal in illegal wildlife for consumption purposes. It would also be advisable for our health authorities to explain to the public exactly what measures have been taken or are planned.
It is good to see our Health Ministry has produced infographics on the matters being circulated via social media. It would also be better if both Putrajaya and Sarawak keep their relevant websites updated. What is the use of IR4.0 when information is not being disseminated via the official websites in a timely manner?
It is good that Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said that the state would reactivate health screening at the entry points.
A transparent and continuous risk assessment update coupled with confidence building measures is an important government role in such critical situations.
Personally, I think more should be done. The history of pandemics is littered with stories of how diseases have changed the future directions of nations and regions.
This is not a matter of crying wolf or being an alarmist. Is it not better to be safe than sorry?
Whatever your opinion, it is important all the relevant agencies take stock of the matter with the utmost due diligence and act decisively now in the interest of its citizens.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the New Sarawak Tribune.
