Novel coronavirus: Is this WHO’s mysterious ‘Disease X’?

With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus showing no signs of abating, many experts are now wondering if this is WHO’s mysterious 'Disease X'.

By: Jahnavi Sarma | | Updated: March 6, 2020 2:50 pm

Tags: coronavirus outbreak novel Chinese coronavirus

Novel coronavirus: Is this WHO’s mysterious ‘Disease X’?

Some years ago, the World Health Organisation had spoken about a mysterious “disease X”. The premier organization also warned that this disease may spark an international contagion. Now, fast forward to the present day and you find the deadly coronavirus, or the COVID-19, defying the efforts of all agencies and governments to contain its spread. Moreover, this disease also has the ability to go quickly from mild to deadly. This has sparked fear that, maybe, this is the very disease that the WHO had warned the world about. Also Read - Facemask is not just a preventive tool: Humidity in masks can lessen COVID-19 severity too

Coronavirus has experts worried

This fear is heightened by the fact that we may be looking at a pandemic that shows no signs of abating. The virus has claimed victims even in Italy, 2 deaths till now, and South Korea. In the latter country, the number of people infected with the coronavirus has more than doubled to 433. Also Read - Accurate and fast: Dogs can sniff out COVID-19 positive cases after only 4 days of training

Till date, the coronavirus has claimed almost 2500 lives and infected more than 77,000. Most of the victims are from mainland China. A member of WHO’s emergency committee, who is also a faculty at Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, said that ‘whether it will be contained or not, this outbreak is rapidly becoming the first true pandemic challenge that fits the disease X category’. The journal Cell reported this. Also Read - Covid-19 was present in France in November 2019, suggests study

New guidelines issued in India

Meanwhile, the government of India has asked all citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Singapore. There will also be screening at airports for flight passengers coming to India from Kathmandu, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia from February 24.

Incubation period may be more than 14 days

As time goes by, experts are coming out with more information about the coronavirus. Though initially, scientists said that incubation period of the virus may be as long as 14 days, it is slowly emerging that this may not actually be the case. Rather, the incubation period may be 24 days from the day of exposure. This puts a whole new perspective on the issue. Because, now, many more people may have already been exposed to the virus. Many experts fear that we have not yet seen the peak of the outbreak. This is frightening indeed.

Published : February 22, 2020 7:10 pm | Updated:March 6, 2020 2:50 pm

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