HIFA Discussion on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
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HIFA discussion on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Discussion 1: Jan – Apr 2020 First 400 messages Addressing the information needs, accuracy, and gaps during an unprecedented global pandemic. FULL COMPILATION Note from HIFA member (Rakshith Gangireddy): The following encompasses the full text of the first 400 messages on the discussion of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19, SARS-Cov-2) pandemic. This full compilation is part of a broader project that aims to identify emerging themes on the information needs and gaps, as well as misinformation, arising across the world during this unprecedented time. As you know, there have already been more than 500 substantive messages on coronavirus on the main HIFA (English) forum. This is more than double the previous record for a HIFA discussion (Traditional birth attendants). A follow-up full compilation will be created for the remaining messages on this topic. The next steps will involve a long edit of the messages, a short edit identifying large themes, a qualitative analysis, an informal article of the findings, and potentially a peer-reviewed publication. [24 May 2020] 1 WHO: Outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) 24 January, 2020 WHO: Statement on the meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Extracts below. Read online: https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/23-01-2020-statement-on-the-meeting...(2005)-emergency- committee-regarding-the-outbreak-of-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov) The Emergency Committee was convened today by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus 2019. The committee advised that the event did not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), they agreed on the urgency of the situation and suggested that the Committee should be reconvened in a matter of days to examine the situation further. 23 January 2020 Statement Geneva, Switzerland ... Chinese authorities presented new epidemiological information that revealed an increase in the number of cases, of suspected cases, of affected provinces, and the proportion of deaths in currently reported cases of 4% (17 of 557). They reported fourth-generation cases in Wuhan and second- generation cases outside Wuhan, as well as some clusters outside Hubei province. They explained that strong containment measures (closure of public-transportation systems are in place in Wuhan City, as well as other nearby cities). After this presentation, the EC was informed about the evolution in Japan, Republic of Korea, and Thailand, and that one new possible case had been identified in Singapore. The Committee welcomed the efforts made by China to investigate and contain the current outbreak. The following elements were considered as critical: Human-to-human transmission is occurring and a preliminary R0 estimate of 1.4-2.5 was presented. Amplification has occurred in one health care facility. Of confirmed cases, 25% are reported to be severe. The source is still unknown (most likely an animal reservoir) and the extent of human-to-human transmission is still not clear. Several members considered that it is still too early to declare a PHEIC, given its restrictive and binary nature. Based on these divergent views, the EC formulates the following advice [...] Technical advice is available here. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus- 2019 Countries should place particular emphasis on reducing human infection, prevention of secondary transmission and international spread and contributing to the international response though multi- sectoral communication and collaboration and active participation in increasing knowledge on the virus and the disease, as well as advancing research. Countries should also follow travel advice from WHO... [Advice for the public here:] https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus- 2019/advice-f... 2 WHO’s standard recommendations for the general public to reduce exposure to and transmission of a range of illnesses are as follows, which include hand and respiratory hygiene, and safe food practices: - Frequently clean hands by using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water; - When coughing and sneezing cover mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue – throw tissue away immediately and wash hands; - Avoid close contact with anyone who has fever and cough; - If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing seek medical care early and share previous travel history with your health care provider; - When visiting live markets in areas currently experiencing cases of novel coronavirus, avoid direct unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals; - The consumption of raw or undercooked animal products should be avoided. Raw meat, milk or animal organs should be handled with care, to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods, as per good food safety practices. Best wishes, Neil Let's build a future where people are no longer dying for lack of healthcare information - Join HIFA: www.hifa.org HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of the HIFA global health campaign (Healthcare In formation For All - www.hifa.org ), a global community with almost 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting on six global forums in four languages (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese). Twitter: @hifa_org FB: facebook.com/HIFAdotORG [email protected] WHO: Outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) (2) 25 January, 2020 [quote] ..... given its restrictive and binary nature [unquote] a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) as formulated by the WHO Emergency Committee is a binary term and as i see it at the heart of the IHRs. So, one would expect preliminary R0s' and case fatality to be interpreted conclusively by the EC. It is hard to imagine that this is not an emergency of international concern, regardless of members...considering that it is 'still too early'. I believe this statement by the DG is ambiguous on its own or perhaps a consensus but not a 'binary' because of politics around the 'restrictive' nature of a PHEIC. The statement seems also semantic between emergency no .. urgency yes. Safeguarding public health should include addressing 'wildlife markets' in China and the Greater Mekong region and curbing the illegal wildlife trade in Asia and the 3 world; since SARS this is a continuing blindspot right in the open causing new outbreaks with people falling ill, transmitting and sadly dying. Days before the statement from Geneva, the Chinese CDC had provided the below information regarding the outbreak of this novel coronavirus in Wuhan that links 2019-nCoV directly to wildlife trade and highlights the severity of illness and an alarming rate of spread with a fatality of 17/639 (one week ago). As of now acc to real time Lilac garden data ( https://3g.dxy.cn/newh5/view/pneumonia?from=timeline&isappinstalled=0 ) 1355 cases are diagnosed nationwide (China); with 1983 suspected cases; 38 cases cured and 38 cases died, fatality 38/1355. Spread doubled in one week (confirmed cases), number of suspects is increasing exponentially with a fatality rate stable between 2.6% - 2.8%. These numbers are predictive for more deaths to follow in and outside China. Good enough the EC will reconvene in a matter of days! best regards pascal verhoeven -- China's CDC says coronavirus linked to illegal wildlldlife trade https://www.sustainability-times.com/environmental-protection/chinas-cdc... By Laureen Fagan on January 22, 2020 China's illegal wildlife trade has been the source oe of untold suffering for both animals and people attached to trafficking operations, but now it is implicated in the evolving coronavirus threat that has sealed off the city of Wuhan and spread to other nations. George Fu Gao, the director general for China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday that the new 2019-nCoV virus originated from wild animals illegally sold at a seafood market in the city of some 11 million people. The market is less than a kilometer from Wuhan's high-speed railwayway station, a high-traffic area in and out of a city that is now effectively quarantined as many of its citizens seek health care. There's much to learn about the outbreak, and the Wo World Health Organization delayed a decision on whether to designate a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) while gathering more information. Yet a new research paper from five Chinese scientists, published rapidly by the Journal of Medical Virology in light of the emergency, points to a specific species. 'Many patients were potentially exposed to wildlife aninimals at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, where poultry, snake, bats, and other farm animals were also sold,' the scientists said. 'Our findings suggest that snake is the most probable wildlife animal reservoir for the 2019' nCoV,' they added, basing results on an an isolated glycoprotein they believe is a pathway in the animal-to-human transmission. It's similar to the link with bats that was implicatcated in the 2003 SARS coronavirus epidemic, which spread to 26 countries and involved more than 8,000 cases once it progressed to human-to-human transmission. A second paper suggests a potential bat origin for this new virus too. 4 While public health authorities think that 2019' nCoV is not yet as serious as SARS was, Gao warned that the virus was adapting and mutating, making it harder to control. The severity of illness and rate of spread are alarming: A real-time reporting site from Lilac Garden, a forum for Chinese medical professionals, listed 639 confirmed cases and another 422 suspected cases as of 12 a.m. local time on Friday, with 17 fatalities. Most of the cases are in the interior Hubei province but others are spread across China's populated east, the coastal ci cities including Beijing and Shanghai, and the adjacent Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan. What's even more sobering to global health officialsals is the spread to other nations.