Airports told to check passengers arriving from China for deadly coronavirus

A mysterious respiratory virus has killed two people and has made at least 50 people ill on Saturday. But UK experts estimate the figure is closer to 1,700. 

Both Japan and Thailand have reported new cases of the mystery strain of coronavirus, reported the Guardian.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) warned about passengers arriving from China after the outbreak of coronavirus there, Dr Sania Tahmina, director of the disease control unit of the DGHS, told The Business Standard. 

Dr Sania said on Saturday, two days ago, the DGHS warned all entry points of the country about passengers arriving from China. They mainly arrive in Bangladesh through airports; so a special alert has been issued there.

Screening facilities have been arranged for passengers coming from China, said Dr Sania, adding that instructions have been given to ensure that all passengers from the East Asian country are checked for signs of the new infection with a fever measuring thermal machine. 

Singapore and Hong Kong have started screening air passengers from Wuhan in China, and the US also announced similar measures starting on Friday at three major airports – San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York.

Dr Sania said there would be a meeting at Shahjalal International Airport on January 20 with the airlines that bring passengers from China. The meeting will be jointly organised by the airport authority and the DGHS, and will also be for people who oversee health issues at the airport.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses with some causing less-severe diseases, such as the common cold, and other more severe diseases such as MERS and SARS. Some transmit easily from person to person, while others do not. 

The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research's (IEDCR) Principal Scientific Officer Dr A S M Alamgir told The Business Standard, coronavirus is similar to SARS and MERS. 

"China said it is spreading from a market that sells seafood. However, duck and chicken are also sold in the market. So the source of infection has not been identified yet.

"The virus first causes fever, then a severe breathing problem which develops into pneumonia. As it is a new disease, there is no specific treatment for it."

The IEDCR has advised people with a history of travelling to China and having a fever, shortness of breath or these types of symptoms, to immediately contact the hotline numbers: +8801937000011, +8801937110011, +8801927711784, and 8801927711785.

The WHO has told everyone to be cautious and follow the rules of infection control, but has not issued a travel alert yet.