https://www.straitstimes.(...)of-south-asia-spreadAs India's coronavirus cases spike, experts daunted by prospect of South Asia spreadMUMBAI (REUTERS) - India has ramped up the screening of travellers to keep the coronavirus at bay but a flurry of new cases has experts warning that it may be hard to contain a spread in densely populated South Asia, with its generally poor medical infrastructure.
India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are home to some 1.7 billion people, or more than a fifth of the world's population, but their over-stretched health systems could struggle to handle the type of intensive care required for coronavirus patients.On top of that, a prevalence of existing health problems such as diabetes could spell trouble, while the sort of sweeping restrictions China has imposed to stifle the virus would be hugely difficult in South Asia's more unruly cities.
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The way Indian society is structured, the kind of lockdown ... have instituted is pretty much impossible even under good circumstances,"
India's total confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 29 on Wednesday (March 4), from six early this week."There is a strong possibility that the number of cases in India is much higher than what has been detected," Dr Arunkumar G., director of the Manipal Institute of Virology, said.
India's government says it has screened more than one million travellers ( )
But 450 million of India's 1.3 billion people are estimated to be migrants, with vast numbers packing its rail and road systems daily, meaning controlling any spread would be a huge challenge.PakistanNeighbouring Pakistan has found five coronavirus cases. A top health official was gloomy about the prospects of tackling a major outbreak.
"We don't have human resources, we don't have the required inventory, we don't have a capacity to cope with a big emergency with the given resources," Mr Shahid Malik, secretary-general of the Pakistan Medical Association, told Reuters.
BangladeshBangladesh has not confirmed any cases of the coronavirus but five Bangladeshi workers have tested positive in Singapore.
Bangladesh's Health Ministry said more than 300,000 people have been screened at airports and other border entry points.
But one passenger was not impressed by what he considered lax screening upon arrival in the capital, Dhaka."Many of us could skip the screening. Just imagine what would happen if someone infected with the virus enters. It'll be a total disaster," Mr Farid Yamin, a Bangladeshi working in Singapore, told Reuters.
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