Health recommendations for Wuhan pneumonia

As Macau prepares to enter the Year of the Rat in the grip of a new pneumonia outbreak, Macau News Agency (MNA) decided to assess what are the preventive health recommendations issued for the public by local health authorities.

First what exactly is the Wuhan pneumonia virus?

The World Health Organisation describes coronaviruses as a large family of viruses that range from the common cold to much more serious diseases.

In addition to humans, coronaviruses can infect many mammals, such as pigs, cattle, cats, dogs, minks, camels, bats, mice, hedgehogs, and various birds.

However, authorities have noted much is yet to be known about the novel coronavirus strain, denoted 2019-nCoV, and that it can still suffer mutations.

The organisation was informed of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan City in the Chinese Hubei Province, and so far 582 cases and 17 deaths – all Wuhan residents – were recorded.

In Macau two cases were recorded, a 66-year-old Chinese man and a 52-year-old Chinese woman, both tourists from Wuhan, with 10 suspected cases still awaiting confirmation.

What are its symptoms?

Symptoms of a coronavirus infection range from respiratory problems, difficulties breathing, fever and cough, to the much more severe cases of pneumonia, kidney failure, acute respiratory syndrome (when fluid builds up in the lungs) and death.

The virus maximum incubation period was said to be 14 days.

The elderly, young and those with an already weakened immune system are at an especially higher risk of developing severe lower-respiratory tract diseases, such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

What are the health recommendations for the public?

The Macau Health Bureau recommends the following:

-Frequently wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand rub. Avoid touching mouth, nose and eyes before washing hands

-Regularly clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces at home and in the workplace

-People with low immunity should avoid visiting crowded places

Recently authorities also recommended residents to stay at home during the Chinese New year period and avoid crowded areas. When in crowded areas, health masks should also be used.

Starting from yesterday designated pharmacies are to make available protective face masks – reserved for purchase by either Macau residents or non-resident workers – with buyers needing to present either a Macao ID card or a non-resident worker ID card.

Holders of such cards will each be entitled to buy a maximum of 10 face masks.

The masks will be available from a total of 56 pharmacies under an agreement between those outlets and the Government.

Card-holders will be permitted to buy another 10 masks once 10 days have elapsed from the original purchase.

However, the SS Director Lei Chin Ion, himself has expressed that thoroughly cleaning one’s hands is a better preventive method than using health maks, with several experts have also warned that surgical face masks commonly sold in pharmacies and stores are far from fail-proof.

People who have fever and respiratory symptoms – especially after travelling to places reporting infection cases involving the newly-identified coronavirus – should also:

-Wear surgical face masks and avoid going out, except to hospital for treatment. They should  especially avoid visiting crowded places;

-Seek medical treatment immediately and inform healthcare staff of their travel history

-Cover mouth and nose with a tissue when sneezing or coughing, and wash hands as soon as possible. When no tissue is available, use personal clothes or elbows as cover, do not use palms as cover

-Frequently wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand rub