Sunday January 26, 2020 ~ INTERNATIONAL
EDITORIAL by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc. ~ West Shore Voice News
With the entire world on high alert about a new respiratory disease caused by a virus that jumped from animal to human, the political epicenter is China.
Through a western lens by which we expect reasonable transparency, we look at how China handled the release of information about the flu-like virus — not really much at all when the virus was first discovered in December, followed and contrasted by eager presentation of the genetic code last week and this week the release of aerial construction photos of new built-overnight hospitals. They’ve been releasing information as it suited them, with the health of the world at risk.
That this Corona virus (the same sort of virus that brings us the ‘common cold’ and influenza) has surfaced right in the midst of the annual winter flu season is excellent timing to cover up a test release. Symptoms are outwardly the same, until it’s too late. This nasty new virus attacks lung cells, potentially leading to respiratory failure. Anyone with a compromised immune system or less robust health (such as most seniors), or with a still-developing immunity spectrum response (very young children) is particularly at risk.
Thankfully the global public health community is medically and ethically on their toes to deal with the onslaught, regardless of the origin of this crisis. However, even the World Health Organization (WHO) might be said to have been naively manipulated, convincing themselves (note a stark 50/50 split among their decision-makers about calling a global emergency) that China’s enforced containment of its people in the Wuhan region would contain the spread. That was very possibly a thinly veiled ruse to delay more rigorous attention to the disease around the world. What’s been slow in coming is clearly identifying transmissibility — i.e. same as any other respiratory illness (through coughing/sneezing and close breathing proximity which passes along airborne droplets).
Medical commentators in Canada say it can take up to two weeks for incubation and symptoms to present. This also leans to indicating a virus that could have been cooked up to perform in just that manner. Camouflage within the ‘flu family’ and presenting within the flu season is a Trojan Horse getting a head start in a race.
We all know about Trojan computer viruses, that get into our computers innocuously because the system remains open but once inside lands its blow. That this illness — once detected — seems reasonably well managed by modern professional care, is possibly further evidence of a ‘test run’ sort of germ warfare experiment.
The free world may find it has been subjected to an experiment, but will probably find no political advantage in admitting to it.
===== NOTES:
This editorial was first published on page 2 in the January 24, 2020 print-PDF weekend digest edition of West Shore Voice News.
Joint statement by BC Health Minister and Public Health Officer about Wuhan Coronavirus in BC (January 25, 2020)