The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has ramped up measures to block the spread of the new corona virus that has thus far killed 17 and infected nearly 600 people.
Counters have been set up at the Allama Iqbal International Airport and Islamabad International Airport with officials of the CAA and the Health Department designated to screen flyers coming from China for the presence of the virus.
Passengers travelling from other countries via China will also have to undergo screening at the airports, CAA officials said. Amid concerns over the outbreak of the epidemic, the National Institute of Health (NIH) issued an advisory, sensitising the health staff at border posts as well as healthcare institutions across the country to stay vigilant about suspected cases coming from high-risk areas for an early detection.
A recent surge in pneumonia cases, associated with the virus, has been reported in China, it said, adding the Chinese authorities have notified more than 200 confirmed human infections and cases have also been reported in Thailand, Japan, and South Korea.
“This situation has urged the neighbouring countries to enhance their surveillance and vigilance for response in case of detection,” read the advisory, adding the NIH was accordingly monitoring the situation and will keep all stakeholders updated.
Human to human transmission has been confirmed by China’s national health commission. As of 23 January the Chinese authorities had acknowledged 517 cases and 17 deaths. In the past week, the number of confirmed infections has more than tripled and cases have been found in 13 provinces, as well as the municipalities Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Tianjin. The virus has also been confirmed outside China, in the US, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan. There have not been any confirmed cases in the UK at present, but there is definitely potential for cases to emerge. The actual number to have contracted the virus could be far higher as people with mild symptoms may not have been detected.
