Flag of China.
Sunday. Death toll in China is 55.
China has banned travel into and out of Wuhan province (a large area like a US state) and most travel around the area.
The Coronavirus is a family of viruses including the common cold, SARS and MERS.
Sars in 2002-3 killed 800.
MERS (Middle Eastern virus) killed 700.
Elderly and Young
So far, in 2020, the latest version has killed mainly those over the age of 50, except one case.
Some commentators shrug. It's only the elderly. And the young.
I read about one family. An extended family who had travelled back to China. When they left they were ok. Now the grandparents and grandchildren are all sick. Imagine being a grandparent, wondering if you will die and if you have infected your grandchildren.
Imagine being in the middle, having your parents and children all ill. Imagine being a child. You don't know whether you will live You don't know if your grandparents will live. Your parents are dividing their time between you and the others of you, two siblings and two grandparents.
You cannot travel. You cannot work. Everybody is quarantined.
Spanish Flu 1918
The 1918 Spanish flu killed more people than WWI. 500 million were affected and more than 50 million died.
It killed the young, who had no immunity.
One of my ancestors died of it. He was in South Africa. He was a young married man who jumped up from his sick bed and ran downstairs to answer the phone call from his sister (my granny Hetty) who was in London. He dropped dead.
His wife never remarried. After her sister-in-law, my granny, had died, my mother kept up correspondence. Eventually my mother went to South Africa to visit the now elderly widow.
I look online and read that somebody I know has a cold.
I wonder. Is it just a cold?
I hope they keep following instructions. Wash your hands. Do not touch your eyes and face with your hands.
Keep away from crowds and people who are coughing.
Carry tissues and/or wear a mask.
Useful Wbsites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronavirus
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Singapore
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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