The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that it was “too early” to declare the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), while warning that the number of cases may increase as much about the virus remains unknown.

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Public health emergency of international concern

Public health emergency of international concern is defined as an “extraordinary event that is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response.” The public emergency announcement is the highest level of alarm that is only raised during the gravest of outbreaks.

Coronavirus:

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people.

Corona virus spreading rapidly in China

• China is struggling to contain the spread of a new virus that has claimed at least six lives so far since 31st December.
• Almost 300 people have been hospitalised. Worryingly enough doctors have confirmed that the infection is spreading rapidly among humans.
• The outbreak has triggered memories of SARS or severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS originated in China in 2002, by 2003 it infected more than 8,000 people and killed 774 in a pandemic that ripped through Asia. The present virus is called the Coronavirus.
• It was first detected in Wuhan city that has cancelled the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations, where hundreds of thousands of people were expected to attend.
• Tour agencies have also been banned from taking groups out of Wuhan, even as Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered resolute efforts to curb the spread of the virus.
• With one patient infecting as many as 14 medical staff in just one hospital, Chinese doctors believe the disease is spreading far more easily than it was thought previously.
• By late January, there were 300 confirmed cases in China and a death count that was still in the single digits, but rising. And despite airport screenings, a traveler had brought the first case to the U.S.

The levels of preparedness of India for such mass epidemics:

• Most countries, including India, are unprepared for outbreaks of major infectious diseases, with Asian countries facing significant risks, according to the Global Health Security Index 2019.
• India is not prepared to tackle health epidemics, particularly given its urban congestion. In fact, given the city structure and the way the settlements have grown, epidemics, once they occur, will spread at a galloping rate.
• The slum clusters all around the cities, the unhygienic growth, and poor waste disposal system will only aggravate the situation.
• Health infrastructure is the basic support for the delivery of public health activities, but current facilities in the country paint a dismal picture of the delivery system.
• There are 23,582 government hospitals with 710,761 beds in the country, according to the National Health Profile 2018. These comprise 19,810 hospitals in rural areas with 279,588 beds and 3,772 hospitals in urban areas with 431,173 beds.
• More than 70% of India’s population lives in rural areas and there are 156,231 sub centres, 25,650 primary health centres and 5,624 community health centres to cater to their needs, according to figures from 31 March 2017.

Conclusion:

The private sector has emerged as a strong force in India’s healthcare service delivery. For health emergencies such as coronavirus, private hospitals have geared themselves up.