Responding to the spread of novel coronavirus outbreak with Wuhan as the epicenter, a Doctor from Faculty of Public Health Universitas Indonesia (FPH UI), dr. Syahrizal Syarif, MPH, Ph.D. expressed his opinion as a lecturer and researcher in the field of Epidemiology. From the perspective of public health, Doctor Syahrizal mentioned that the recent coronavirus epidemic is caused by a new type of coronavirus, named 2019-nCoV. “Before this, two other types of coronavirus have been known as the cause of global epidemic: including SARS which started back in 2002 – 2003 in Guangzhou, China; and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) which reported on September 2012 in the United Kingdom and originated from Saudi Arabia.”
2019-nCoV is mainly spreading in China with approximately 4500 confirmed cases and 107 deaths (2.4%), which also spread as an “imported” case in 19 countries around the world. The mortality rate of this case illustrates the disease severity. The mortality rate is relatively low (around 2,5-3%), compared to the case fatality rate of SARS (10%) and MERS-CoV (34%). However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not declared this global epidemic as a “public health emergency of international concern” as the organization believes that the emergency is still limited in China.
By building 2300-bed isolation rooms and publishing a city quarantine policy, the Chinese government is taking an exceptional step that would show a real impact on the next 28 days (two incubation periods), such as decreasing number of new cases. This novel virus, as the public knows, can be transmitted from person-to-person, even during its subclinical state. Doctor Syahrizal also mentioned that WHO has taken the International Health Regulation 2005 initiative which then developed through the Global Health Security Agenda. Thus, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenkes RI) is basically ready to face the global outbreak. Related to the medical response, referral hospital preparedness with a standardized isolation room is really important. On the other side, KKP, B-BTKL, Dinas Kesehatan Provinsi/Kabupaten/Kota, and Puskesmas are in charge of surveillance, investigation, and contact tracing as the public health responses.
Observing how Indonesia handles the 2019-nCoV, Syahrizal noticed that the early warning system has been working well. It can be seen from how several cities in Indonesia, including Bandung, Jambi, Manado, Cirebon, and others are treating the suspected cases of 2019-nCoV. “Too bad, there is no official report from the Ministry of Health about the status of suspected cases- I understand there would be consternation if the status openly reported,” said Doctor Syahrizal. Nonetheless, Doctor Syahrizal felt that the Ministry of Health should be appreciated for its performance and the public should not be panic if there were openness and transparency about the case.
The public should not be panic with the recent outbreak as the transmission level of this virus is still considered low. Instead, people should be encouraged to maintain their personal hygiene, wash their hands regularly, and wear masks if they experience any problem on their respiratory system. On the side note, as the 2019-nCoV outbreak is still ongoing, further observation on its progress is still needed.
