The Ongoing Tracking of a Contagion
On 15th January 2020, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare reported an imported case of a new, laboratory-confirmed coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
But things haven't improved, it seems that the coronavirus has arrived to America. Colombia and Mexico are investigating whether they have cases of the new coronavirus that emerged in China, where hundreds of cases have already been confirmed by the middle of this week.
Colombian and Mexican authorities identified two subjects with symptoms of the disease on Wednesday.
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, announced that a possible case is "under observation" in the northern state of Tamaulipas. On Thursday, Mexican authorities ruled out the coronavirus.
For its part, the Office of Migration Colombia reported that a young man of Chinese nationality is evaluated after landing in Bogota.
Although the origin of the new coronavirus is unknown, it would be prudent to recall the basic principles for reducing the overall risk of transmission of acute respiratory infections:
1. Avoid direct contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections.
2. Wash hands frequently, especially after direct contact with sick people or their environment.
3. Avoid unprotected contact with farm or wild animals.
4. WHO does not recommend any specific health measures for travellers. However, WHO recommends that people traveling and developing respiratory symptoms during the journey, or subsequently, seek medical attention and explain to the healthcare professional the journey they have taken.
Travel guidance has been updated.
By Andrés Argel and
Susana Rengifo, Step 10
