China’s coronavirus: how Wuhan pneumonia is diagnosed (and which countries in Latin America can do it)

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers the new outbreak of coronavirus as an “international emergency” whose presence until Thursday had been detected in about 30 countries around the world.

The disease has hit China hard, where it originated and where more than 31,000 cases were already registered. Of these, more than 600 ended the death of patients.

Outside of mainland China, more than 260 infected were detected and until Thursday two deaths were certified: in Hong Kong and the Philippines.

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Numerous governments quickly adopted measures to prevent the spread of contagion, such as carrying out airport controls and quarantine isolation of those travelers suspected of being affected by the coronavirus.

However, one of the difficulties in stopping contagion has to do with the fact that Not all countries have the capacity to detect this outbreak.

But how is Wuhan’s coronavirus diagnosed?

Virus genes

Carmen Sofía Arriola, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), explains to BBC Mundo that when this new virus arises, the first thing that is done is study your code to detect consistent genetic markers that allow you to identify it.

The new outbreak of coronavirus causes some symptoms similar to those produced by other viruses, so a test of this type is needed to differentiate it and rule out other diseases.

“The CDC has developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. It is a diagnostic molecular biology test that detects the genetic code of the virus,” he says.

Arriola explains that these tests have different quality controls that allow to determine if the sample is positive or negative.

To make them sputum or other respiratory secretions are used which are obtained by mechanisms such as aspirates or nasopharyngeal washes. In addition, blood serum samples can be used.

Once the samples arrive at the laboratory, a diagnosis can be made in a few hours.

Arriola explains that the CDC published the protocol to do these tests on its website and that it is already being implemented in several US states.

And in Latin America?

Until recently, the number of countries that could make the diagnosis of Wuhan coronavirus was relatively low.

This limitation was mainly due to the fact that they did not have the necessary material to identify the virus through the PCR test.

In the case of Latin America, this situation is beginning to change.

According to Marcos Espinal, director of the Department of Communicable Diseases of the Pan American Health Organization, in the Americas There are 29 countries with laboratories capable of performing the PCR test.

He points out that these are the same centers where diagnostic tests for influenza are done, but they could not be used to detect Wuhan’s coronavirus because they lacked the specific materials to identify that outbreak.

“We are recommending that these laboratories be used and we are sending them the supplies so they can do the tests in their countries,” he says.

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ANDU.S., Canada,Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Suriname, Mexico, Paraguay and Chile they are the countries of the continent where local tests are already being done to diagnose the coronavirus.