In Sarajevo Canton, the current epidemiological situation is continuously monitored and epidemiological surveillance is carried out in accordance with prescribed procedures and protocols, with the aim of taking measures to protect the population from infectious diseases in the light of the global crises regarding the emergence of a new coronavirus (2019-nCoV9), Canton Sarajevo Ministry of Health announced on Sunday.
It is also alleged that the work of health institutions in the Canton of Sarajevo is organized and coordinated, and recommendations are given according to the development of the current situation through the activities of the Crisis Staff of the Ministry of Health of the CS.
The Crisis Staff is in constant contact with other cantons and the health system in Sarajevo Canton operates according to a preparedness plan that is activated in such global public health threats, according to the available human and spatial capacities.
As of Saturday, there have been 34,598 confirmed cases in China and 288 cases reported by 24 countries outside of China, Tedros said. There have been roughly 730 deaths, most in China. It was reported Saturday that an American man who had been infected with the virus and treated in China had died.
Coronaviruses make up a large family of viruses that can infect birds and mammals, including humans, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Live Science.
These viruses have been responsible for several outbreaks around the world, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic of 2002-2003 and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak in South Korea in 2015. Most recently, a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) triggered an outbreak in China in December 2019, sparking international concern.
While some coronaviruses have caused devastating epidemics, others cause mild to moderate respiratory infections, like the common cold.
Coronaviruses can be transmitted between humans through respiratory droplets that infected people expel when they breathe, cough or sneeze. A typical surgical mask cannot block out the viral particles contained in these droplets, but simple measures — such as washing your hands, disinfecting frequently touched surfaces and objects, and avoiding touching your face, eyes and mouth — can greatly lower your risk of infection.
The viruses generally cannot survive for more than a few hours on surfaces outside a human host, but people can pick up a coronavirus from a contaminated surface for a short window of time, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the Center for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a CDC news conference in early 2019. Scientists don’t yet know how long the novel coronavirus can survive outside a host.
