A " Pandemic " Threat !

The biggest threat to the human race - apart from a nuclear war - would be a pandemic that spreads from country to country  and scythes through the billions that now inhabit planet Earth.   Back in what we call the " middle ages " Europe was scourged with the " plague " and that decimated entire cities.

The last deadly Pandemic occurred just after the end of the first world war and was called the " Spanish Flu ".   Conditions for it to spread were rife because the troops from that war were travelling home on crowded troop ships and the end result was the death of millions of people.  We are still no closer to understanding how this happened and a warming planet may unearth frozen bodies that still harbour the bacteria which could start a renewal.

Now we have what the medical authorities describe as a " Coronavirus " threatening to reach epidemic proportions out of China.  It has been designated " 2019-nCoV " and it seems to be centred on the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Back in the days of the Spanish Flu air travel was in its infancy.  Today in the course of a few hours countless airplanes deliver passenger loads across all the countries of the world and with that comes the threat of unlimited contagion.  Sooner or later it seems inevitable that we will encounter a new pandemic  that we are unable to control.

Health authorities are treating this Coronavirus outbreak with suspicion.  At this stage the numbers are small but it is definitely spread by human to human contact and what kills people is the disease producing pneumonia in its later stages.  Cases have been detected in South Korea, Thailand and Japan and airport screenings are now a necessary precaution.

What is ominous is that there are three direct flights each week between Wuhan and Sydney.  The passengers on those flights breathe recirculated air for many hours during the journey and at this stage we have no idea how long exposure to the disease takes before symptoms become apparent. The only precaution possible is detection of passengers with a fever or high temperature at arrival stations.

China is the worlds most populous country and industrialization has caused its citizens to congregate in cities. Science predicts that the next deadly pandemic will originate in the crossover from a bird species to humans and most likely the culprit will be ducks.   Ducks are intensively farmed in Chinas and feature predominantly in the food chain.

We recently had a fear that Ebola might escape its confinement in Africa but that seems to be reaching a control level.  It seems that sheer luck has been on our side and we have not experienced a serious pandemic since the Spanish Flu back in 1918.  It seems inevitable that one day that luck will run out  !