Xenophobia —nosophobia

Xenophobia is the fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers. Nosophobia is the fear of contracting a disease. Which one do you have?

Last week, when I heard the President tell us to stop blaming the Chinese for the outbreak of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (or nCoV), I asked myself am I guilty?

In the past weeks, after being conscious of this dangerous virus, people began avoiding handshakes, kissing and hugging. Many people started to wear face masks not to mention travelers who are doing self-quarantines. Whether you want to admit it or not, this deadly virus has changed our lives. It has actually given us more anxiety and heartaches. It’s really quite a nuisance.

I truly feel for the people of Hubei. The lockdown feels like an apocalypse. Many cities in China are also going into a lockdown but not yet totally, so it seems. Private entities have asked their employees to stay home. It’s been almost two weeks now and businesses are already laying off people or closing down. The economy is suffering. The virus has had a tremendous impact on China and the world. 

People are developing xenophobia because there has always been an underlying element of discrimination toward the Chinese even at a time where we must sympathize. It is also unfortunate that people who have no intentions of discriminating are starting to do so. I’m pretty sure that not all have sentiments of fear or hatred toward the Chinese. They are just developing a fear of getting the virus – nosophobia.

I’ve noticed that when there is a flock of Chinese tourists, many Filipinos and non-Chinese foreigners suddenly go the other way. I’m sure many have experienced this scenario already that when a crowd is together and then some Chinese looking man or woman comes along the whole crowd diminishes just like the parting of the red sea.

Everyday we pray for those infected with nCoV. We pray for China even if we were by some way or the other hurt by the issues we have with them (i.e. West Philippine Sea). We also pray for the world. If you read or scan through the major newspapers around the world, you will observe the impact this new virus has caused the world. In a global scale issues on discriminating the Chinese is getting worse.

The world is watching China. Don’t forget the virus was believed to have emerged in a marketplace that sold wild animals in Wuhan last year. With the magnitude of deaths and sickness it has caused it has become a pandemic. Yesterday the death toll of the nCoV outbreak has already reached 813 deaths, and 37,554 confirmed cases. The mortality rate has surpassed SARS (final toll of 774 deaths in 2003) and may also surpass MERS (final toll of 858 deaths in 2012). According to WHO, as of February 8 there are 288 confirmed cases, and 1 death outside of China. A total of 24 countries are affected. Clearly, it is an outbreak of a plague.

The ten deadliest epidemics throughout history according to Health 24, an infectious disease journal are: (1) The Third Cholera Pandemic (1852-1860) originated in India killing more than 25,000 people; (2) The Asian “Avian” Flu Pandemic (1957) originated in China killing two million; (3) Typhus fever in World War 1 (1945) killing more than 3 million; (4) Cocolitzli epidemic (1576) originated in Mexico killing millions; (5) Plague of Justinian (541-542) from the Roman Empire killing more than 25 million; (6) Antonine Plague (165-180 AD) the Roman Empire killing 5 million; (7) The Third Plague Pandemic (1855) from Yunnan, China which spread over a 20-year period killing 10 million; (8) The Black Death (1334) originated in China spread throughout the trade routes killing 60 percent of European population; (9) The Great Flu Epidemic (1918) killing more than 50 million; (10) HIV/Aids global pandemic  (1960s – present) originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo around 1920 resulting to 65 million infections and 25 million deaths.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization said in his foreword for a manual on Managing Epidemics, “Outbreaks are a fact of life, and the world remains vulnerable. We do not know where or when the next global pandemic will occur, but we do know that it will take a terrible toll, both on human life, and on the global economy.” Looking back, he mentioned the Spanish flu, the deadliest outbreak in recorded history that killed up to 50 million people, more than the death toll from World War 1. He added that we have not seen a public emergency on that scale since then. But we may at any time. He also cited the West African Ebola in 2014 that taught us a valuable lesson: that global health security is only as strong as its weakest link. He said that no one is safe until everyone is safe.

Dr. Ghebreyesus wrote about the WHO’s three top strategic priorities in its new General Program of Work. The goal is that over the next five years, 1 billion people will be better protected from epidemics and other health emergencies. The manual on Managing Epidemic, he said, is a valuable tool to help countries make progress towards that goal. It offers expert guidance to help WHO’s country representatives and others to respond quickly in the earliest stages of an outbreak. He said, “We must do our best to prevent them by addressing the root cause of health insecurity: the lack of access of the most vulnerable people to essential health services”.

Can we create a pandemic-free world? Dr. Ghebreyesus says, “There is no such thing as a guarantee, but with meticulous preparation and rapid response, we can prevent most outbreaks from getting out of control, and limit the impact of those that spread internationally. First, we must build and sustain resilient capacities at national, regional and global levels to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks, in accordance with the International Health Regulations. And second, we must ensure that populations affected by emergencies have rapid access to essential lifesaving health services, including medicines and vaccines.”

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As you all may have already read, yesterday the plane carrying 30 Filipinos from Wuhan arrived. All these passengers will be quarantined at the New Clark City along with the flight crew and the repatriation team. Here’s hoping that all systems are in placed for the success of this endeavor. Fingers crossed!