Ministry issues alert about deadly virus.

Byline: Imran Ayub

KARACHI -- As death toll from a deadly virus detected in China rose sharply, authorities in Pakistan issued an alert on Wednesday to 'sensitise the health staff at border posts as well as in healthcare institutions ... to stay vigilant about any suspected cases coming from affected areas for early detection'.

Cases involving coronavirus have not just been reported in China but also in Thailand, Japan and South Korea. On WednesAday, the United States reported its first such case.

'It has been further reported by China's National Health CommisAsion that the virus can be transmitted between people and more cases are expected to emerge,' said the alert issued by the Ministry of National Health Services, Islamabad.

'In the wake of the international alert, it is hereby directed [that the] Disease Surveillance Division and the Central Health EstabAlishAment shall monitor, detect and exercise the highest level of vigilance,' it added.

In response to the alert issued by the ministry, the Field Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Division of the National Institute of Health (NIH) issued an advisory on the outbreak, advising public health centres, private facilities and personnel monitoring movement on the borders to stay vigilant and share information about the measures taken in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

'The Chinese authorities have notified more than 200 confirmed human infections and cases have also been reported in Thailand, Japan and South Korea... The NIH is accordingly monitoring the situation and will keep all stakeholders updated,' it said.

The objective of the advisory, the NIH said, was to alert and sensitise the health staff to stay vigilant about any suspected cases coming from affected areas.

The advisory also shared information about the illness, saying the pneumonia-like illness was caused by a novel coronavirus named by CDC-US, '2019-nCoV' of the family of Coronavirus.

According to the preliminary epidemiological investigation, most victims had either worked at or were handlers and frequent visitors to the Huanan Seafood and Meat wholesale market in Wuhan, China, the advisory said.

'Recent evidences are highly suggestive that this is a zoonotic disease and primary causes of infections in humans are through contact with infected animals, and animal products (needs to be confirmed). Substantial evidences are also suggestive of human-to-human transmission as secondary infections (confirmed by Chinese...