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Tuesday, February 11, 2020, 17:35
Something's not right when they criticize China
By Mario Cavolo
Tuesday, February 11, 2020, 17:35 By Mario Cavolo

(SONG CHEN / CHINA DAILY)

When the United States 2009 H1N1 swine flu emerged, it eventually infected 60 million people in the US and killed a minimum of 18,449 cases worldwide that year. But the final story of the H1N1 global pandemic was far worse than that, with close to 300,000 deaths in the world, according to the final tallies in 2012 reported by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But during that outbreak, I don't recall xenophobic anti-American attacks across the globe, do you? In fact, do you recall it took six months for the US to declare a national emergency? Did any government from the onset in April 2009 through the end in April 2010, including the month of June, when H1N1 was declared an international emergency global pandemic, then send out a notice to its citizens that they should leave the United States? Close their borders to American travelers? Nope, there was not a peep.

In 2009, did UK subjects in America get a notice to leave America? No. Did the world suggest we isolate from America? Close the US borders? No

Yet I am reading hateful vicious attacks on the Chinese government for their supposed intentional underreporting of the number of infections, even though that is exactly and always the case with such flu outbreaks no matter where, and the CDC reports illustrate that crystal clear. The US H1N1 swine flu numbers were vastly underestimated and updated three years later, because that is the nature of such viral outbreaks, which don't care which country they emerge in. There is never enough manpower, there are never enough test kits, there is never enough medicine or medical supplies. China is not trying to hide these hardships, they are well known, they are being reported on the news daily in China. There are always people who die in an epidemic, many of whom we'll never know if they died of a particular virus. Those are the facts, not any problem unique to China's healthcare system or government.

Not a conspiracy, but a tragedy

It's not a conspiracy, it's a tragedy.

According to the June 27, 2012 research report followup three years later, it gets much more disturbing when you learn about the CDC's final estimate of the H1N1 virus global death toll. This article can be found on the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy website, the CDC's 18,449 total deaths number was "...regarded as WELL BELOW THE TRUE TOTAL, mainly because many people who die of flu-related causes are not tested for the disease."

So during the 2009 outbreak, was anyone accusing the US medical and government authorities of hiding the numbers? Were Americans with hidden cameras strolling into the Mayo Clinic to prove how many people were really dying? The absurdity of these vicious attacks are that whether or not a person specifically does have the novel coronavirus or some other viral bug presenting as pneumonia, the treatment is the same supportive treatment anyway.

Something's not right here folks. The world should be applauding China's unprecedented, broad, aggressive response.

Instead of looking at the will of an entire system of government acting faster than any other government on the planet could, there are some still busy bashing a few local government officials in Wuhan where the outbreak originated. True, perhaps they should have said something sooner, but that's not an indictment of an entire country's government. On this point, every provincial government has sent out a notice to its government officials pretty much saying that if they try to hide anything, they will face harsh punishment.

And here's the mic drop for you: "The CDC researchers estimate that the H1N1 2009 pandemic virus caused 201,200 respiratory deaths and another 83,300 deaths from cardiovascular disease associated with H1N1 infections." Total: 284,000 deaths. Shocking, isn't it?

Was there a travel ban for any length of time to and from the United States?

Did China, Germany, Japan or any other country close their border to American travelers?

Following the United States Department of State policy suggesting US citizens leave China, the United Kingdom embassy released the same recommendation to UK citizens. In 2009, did UK subjects in America get a notice to leave America? No.

Did the world suggest we isolate from America? Close the US borders? No.

Did Americans get xenophobically attacked and targeted by anti-American sentiments like the Chinese are experiencing now? Um, no.

Chinese people will defeat the virus at last

Fascinating and disturbing to say the least. And the truth is you couldn't be safer than in this country, where almost everyone is staying home and dutifully isolating themselves with awareness. Not to mention that the Chinese government's decision to safeguard people is coming at a devastating economic cost in the hundreds of billions.

I have a friend in Mesa, Arizona. He told me earlier that the big popular China City buffet, a huge busy place, has no customers. Does that make any sense at all?

If you were in Miami and you heard that there was a virus outbreak that started in Milan, in central Italy, would you cancel your dinner reservation at the Italian restaurant that night in South Beach? No. Would you buy a pizza next week at Joey's Pizzeria in Delray Beach?

If you were in Singapore and you heard there was a virus outbreak in Dallas, Texas, in the central US, would you stop going to your favorite local Texas southern BBQ restaurant in Singapore?

Finally, here are some straight up, sensible accurate descriptions of this new coronavirus which emerged in Wuhan, China. It's not called the China virus and neither was H1N1 called the America virus..

Just like every flu season. However, don't misunderstand me. The extra caution and the remarkable response by the Chinese government and people together to quell the spread of this virus was warranted because, yes it is correct that this coronavirus is nastier than the usual annual flu bug, as was H1N1 in 2009.

This coronavirus is highly contagious, it spreads easily. It binds to lung tissue and so in particular, likes to cause pneumonia, that's what infection of lung tissue is. That's more severe than a respiratory infection which is only in your throat or bronchial tubes.

The virus currently has a 2 percent death rate. That's a lot higher, around 20 times higher, than a typical annual flu virus with a death rate of 0.1 percent. However, a 2-percent death rate is still much lower by comparison to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus which had a 9 percent death rate or the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus with a really nasty 37 percent death rate.

The novel coronavirus is causing severe symptoms in 10-15 percent of cases, with 80-90 percent of deaths elderly patients, most with other existing health problems. That characteristic by the way, is in contrast to the America 2009 H1N1 swine flu virus which in fact had a higher death rate amongst younger people including children, rather than those over 60 years old.

China identified and shared the novel coronavirus genome in record times, in only days, and of course, immediately shared it with all international health and disease organizations. Medical researchers are already discovering that certain existing anti-viral medications may be effective against this coronavirus.

It's impossible not to marvel at China's broad and aggressive domestic response directed by the provincial level governments to restrict movement, transportation, and business operations for a period of time combined with the voluntary dutiful cooperation of its 1.4 billion citizens who are in the majority quietly staying at home these weeks to let the virus pass; this model response is already being hailed by the international community as a remarkable unprecedented response setting a new standard in understanding what is possible for future outbreaks in whatever country they may occur. Is it inconvenient and costly. You bet.

Whether in a couple of weeks or months later, this nasty flu type coronavirus will begin declining and the joy of spring will arrive. Between now and then if you don't have anything good, anything supportive to say about China or Chinese people, how about you just keep your mouth shut.

The author is freelance author and commentator. 

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not represent the views of China Daily.


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