As I flew back from Johannesburg to Cape Town yesterday, I saw two passengers next to me wearing face masks. I felt a little anxious and 'underdressed' and then sat back to think about it. As a clinical virologist, I asked myself, was I setting a good example travelling regularly on public transport without due care for myself?
The recent emergence of the new coronavirus (Covid-19) in China comes as no surprise to infectious disease specialists, who have warned of the inevitability of this occurrence for decades. Many viral infections, such as influenza, Ebola, rabies and SARS are transmitted to humans from animals, and our increasing exposure to animals over time adds to the risk of more animal-to-human transmissions.
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