reader Posted January 20, 2020 Posted January 20, 2020 From MSN A British backpacker is fighting for his life in a Thailand hospital after it is feared he contracted the deadly Chinese flu virus which has already infected more than 100 people. Ashley Shorley had to be taken to hospital by a specialised seaplane because the high altitude was too much for his lungs while he was visiting Koh Phi Phi island. The 32-year-old's symptoms appear to be consistent with the Chinese coronvirus which has officially been contracted by at least 139 people while three deaths have been reported, sparking fears of a pandemic. But with Ashley's parents by his bedside while he relies on a ventilator to breathe, there are concerns the Chinese authorities are keeping the true scale of the issue under wraps, reports the Sun . He is understood to be the first Brit to have contracted the virus. China's National Health Commission said in a statement on January 19 the source of the virus hasn't been found and that its transmission path has not been fully mapped. Phuket doctors drained 2kg of liquid from Ashley's lungs and his dad Chris said his son was "two days from death", adding: "If he wasn’t so fit, he wouldn’t be with us now. “We are now waiting on tests. It is very serious.” https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/fears-brit-backpacker-struck-down-with-deadly-flu-like-chinese-virus-in-thailand/ar-BBZ8qHY?li=BBoPWjQ vinapu 1 Quote
spoon Posted January 20, 2020 Posted January 20, 2020 He contracted the virus on dec 27?!? Omg, i was in thailand during that time. And jan 2, he was hospitalized and transferred due to collapsed lung, thats about 7 days. And he ia still breathing with the help of ventilator. Very scary virus indeed. Really hope this tine around it wont spread as easily as SARs or H1N1 before. Anyone going to anywhere with crowds needs to take extra precaution and wear mask if possible. Quote
Guest Posted January 21, 2020 Posted January 21, 2020 12 hours ago, spoon said: Anyone going to anywhere with crowds needs to take extra precaution and wear mask if possible. The pollution alone is a sufficient reason to wear a facemask in Bangkok and certain other Thai cities at present. As for viruses, I note the Asian response is to wear a face mask, whereas in the UK, there is more of a tendency to encourage use of sanitizing hand gels. You would think viruses get transmitted the same way in both continents. I will probably use both in high risk areas, ie those places that obviously have a lot of Chinese tourists. Finally, if we look at the "Spanish Flu" epidemic of 1918, the survival rate was higher amongst mature healthy adults than young healthy adults. The mature adults apparently had previous exposure to a similar virus, so had better resistance to the "Spanish Flu". Quote
DivineMadman Posted January 21, 2020 Posted January 21, 2020 ThaiVisa reports that the young man is now in Bangkok at Bumrungrad and the doctors have confirmed that he does NOT have coronavirus. ThaiVisa (ThaiVisa does not link to a newspaper or website for the source of this update.) Quote
reader Posted January 21, 2020 Author Posted January 21, 2020 NOTE -- Although Coconuts Bangkok has since posted an article, citing a government official who claims that the British man does not have the virus associated with the Wuhan variant, it also seems directed at downplaying the issue . The spokesman says the public shouldn't be alarmed because there's no indication that the man traveled to Wuhan. That suggests that that the virus can only be acquired within that city. The second article below from the South China Morning Post presents a more dire scenario. From Coconuts Bangkok As Wuhan virus fever takes hold of the public’s imagination, Thai health officials said Tuesday afternoon that a 32-year-old British tourist who fell ill on the resort island of Phi Phi does not have the potentially fatal disease. Ash Shorley, who reportedly fell ill after arriving in Thailand in late December, has been the subject of breathless reports indicating he might have been infected with the virus that has killed at least four people since it emerged in Wuhan, China last month. Phuket’s top public health official, Thanit Sermkaew, told the Phuket News today that Shorley did not have the disease. Disease Control Department Director Sophon Iamsirithavorn today said no record could be found indicating Shorley had traveled to Wuhan. He said the public shouldn’t be alarmed. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/british-tourist-recovering-in-bangkok/ ============================================================== From South China Morning Post Wuhan coronavirus: 20 other cities in China affected by outbreak, Hong Kong academics say The model developed by Hong Kong University suggests coronavirus outbreak worse than officially reported Model, which used travel and other data to map out the likely spread of the virus, estimated 1,343 people had been infected in Wuhan The Wuhan coronavirus has already spread to 20 other cities in China, according to a study from the University of Hong Kong that suggests the outbreak is worse than officially reported. A model developed by HKU’s infectious disease experts found the virus would have taken hold across swathes of mainland China between January 1 and 17. The analysis by the university’s WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control was unveiled on Tuesday, when health authorities reported 21 cases in six mainland cities other than Wuhan, the source of the outbreak. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3047022/wuhan-coronavirus-20-other-cities-china-affected Quote
spoon Posted January 21, 2020 Posted January 21, 2020 And this news is also worrying and supporting that the real situation is much worse than reported https://amp.businessinsider.com/deadly-china-wuhan-virus-spreading-human-to-human-officials-confirm-2020-1 Quote
