The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the current coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. The virus, designated 2019-nCoV, has infected more than 9,800 people in China and killed more than 200, with roughly 140 cases appearing in at least 18 other countries on four continents.
“We are at a crossroads, in which two things are possible,” says Alessandro Vespignani, who directs the Laboratory for the Modeling of Biological and Socio-technical systems at Northeastern. “Either the screening, detection, and isolation in China will be able to contain the epidemic there, or it will be a global issue. And this will be decided in the next couple of weeks.”
The disease was first detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Last week, Chinese authorities shut down all transportation in Wuhan, quarantining the city of 11 million people. Quarantines of other Chinese cities followed. Russia closed its border with China, and several other countries have suspended travel to the area. On Thursday, the U.S. issued its highest level warning, advising people not to travel to the country.
Vespignani says these efforts are likely slowing the spread of 2019-nCoV to other countries, as scientists rush to learn as much about the new disease as possible.
“It provides some time for the international community to better understand the virus,” says Vespignani, who is the Sternberg Family Distinguished University Professor of physics. “But this is not something that can be done indefinitely within China and internationally.”
Read more at Northeastern Global News
Photo Courtesy of Alessandro Vespignani
