The last couple of days have been a harrowing experience for those of us who are still in Beijing. People all across the city have been glued to their phones, computers, and television screens, desperately tracking the progress of the Coronavirus. Despite there being a few happy endings with the number of those successfully cured from the otherwise deadly virus increasing, it hasn’t stopped many of us from still being terrified at the prospect of contracting it. This doubly goes for those with families of young children. In what can otherwise be described as a mass hysteria, masks, hand sanitizer, and other preventative products and devices have been flying off the shelves of open retail outlets, with residents both foreign and local determined to protect themselves against potential infections.

In any one of numerous WeChat groups, Beijing expats share their experiences and reactions to the advent and spread of the virus which has been met by numerous school closures and the official extension of the Spring festival period by the Chinese government to February 2.

Those who seem most caught up in these steps to curb the spread of the virus are overwhelmingly the parent and teacher community of Beijing, many of whom had traveled out of Beijing during the Spring Festival period, to begin with. Of those who are outside of China, travel restrictions, postponement of opening dates, and mass cancelations of flights to and from China by numerous international airlines have offered little choice but to remain in their current destinations and await further information. The cancellation of said flights has also lead to an exodus of sorts by those with families in Beijing.

Fearing being stuck in the city in the event of a full lockdown of the city, many families have opted to return to their countries before airline operations fully cease. According to one Beijing expat mom and teacher who is planning to leave the country with her children today, there doesn’t seem to be a better option in the face of current information.

However, many families are still in the city. But why? Surely it would be prudent for them to also follow in the footsteps of other families in the mass exodus from Beijing and indeed China?

Another expat mom and teacher affiliated to an international school here in Beijing shared her reasons for remaining in Beijing. “Our passports are at the PSB”, she elaborates. This is the case with a large number of teachers and other professionals whose visas are up for renewal at the beginning of the new Chinese year.

Those who might wish to travel at this time are left with little recourse but to wait for their passports to be returned. As procedure goes, those who might wish to get their passports back from the PSB must acquire an official letter from their embassy or consulate, explaining the urgency in their travel plans. That hardly seems a viable option for many, as there is still uncertainty as to whether many embassies are open and fully operational so for all intents and purposes, this particular group of families are stuck in Beijing for lack of a better word.

For the mom in this same position however, it might not make much sense to travel back to her home country at this time, given that schools are estimated to open in about two weeks. She further adds, “if the containment looks like it will go on for months, we will reconsider.”

There are those who also fear that they might be inadvertent carriers of the virus back to their home countries. Some might consider this an unlikely scenario but it is also heart-warming to see such a selfless reason for remaining in Beijing. Other families still are encouraged by their Chinese counterparts’ presence. In the spirit of what is good for the goose is good for the gander, they have chosen to remain in the city encouraged by the lack of panic among Chinese friends who have children.

Veteran expats in Beijing who lived through the SARS crisis 17 years ago are steadfast in their decision to remain thanks to their own past experiences in times of a similar if not greater crisis. Those who have chosen to remain have chosen to employ different entertainment strategies to keep their kids thoroughly entertained, with one mom converting her living room space into a makeshift gymnastics area for her sons in which they can practice their backflips.

Whatever the reason to remain, it is safe to say that all hope is not lost and Beijing families are all hopeful that the Coronavirus dark cloud currently obscuring their happy Beijing lives will soon lift.

Photos: unsplash

Has the office been looking a little empty this week? Winter, and especially early January, is a time of increased illness thanks to weakened immune systems and dropping temperatures, the perfect conditions for viruses to stay airborne and take hold.

This year, however, is proving particularly bad in several big cities, including Beijing, as influenza spreads and leaves many hospitals full and underprepared. The increase in sufferers is being put down the prevalence of a number of virus strains that had not otherwise been seen in the past few years, leading to a lack of immunity among the already vulnerable population.

The flu epidemic has been growing in recent weeks, with 5,298 flu cases reported in Beijing alone between Dec 18 and 24, an increase of more than 80 percent on the previous week, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

Regular medicines are unlikely to help fend off the flu unless you take them within the first 48 hours of having experienced symptoms

The spate of infections has even proven too much for one top-tier hospital in Tianjin, the Tianjin Haihe Hospital, which has had to temporarily shut its pediatrics ward due to sickness among its staff, reports Tianjin’s Metro Express.

In response to the epidemic, the National Health and Family Planning Commission held a press conference on Tuesday outlining the unusual circumstances. Jiao Yahui, deputy head of the commission’s medical administration and management bureau, did however make assurances that there is no cause for panic, as no mutations have been found that would make the virus stronger, more drug-resistant, or easier to transmit.

While flu vaccines are recommended by the World Health Organisation as a way to prevent the three dominant strains of flu, they have limited effect against B/Yamagta, the strain behind China’s outbreaks this winter. Traditional flu prevention tips such as maintaining a healthy lifestyle, good hygiene, and keeping distance from others, especially those who are sick, are your best bet at fending off the illness.

Email: amberdelahaye@thebeijinger.com
WeChat: amberdelahaye

Photos: zhytuku.china.com, pexels.com

In recent news reports, Zika cases have been reported in China and this is a good time to get all the information necessary to protect your family. Zika has no vaccine so obviously taking preventative measures are advisable. This Saturday, March 19 at 10am-noon Yew Chung International School of Beijing and Oasis International Hospital will be hosting a 2-hour information session at Oasis International Hospital.

The session will be led by family doctor Emily Kara and touch on symptoms, preventative measures, and possible implications for pregnant women. This is a free event.

Photo: www.suplementosbrasil.org

A second case of a new strain of avian flu has been reported in China, sparking fears of a repeat of last year’s H7N9 scare.

Details of the latest instance of the H10N8 infection remain scarce, though state news agency Xinhua reports that a 55-year-old woman was in a critical condition in a Nanchang hospital after arriving with symptoms of dizziness and a sore throat. The woman recently had “exposure to an agricultural market,” according to the Health and Family Planning Department in south east China’s Jiangxi Province. 

Reports follow the death of a 73-year-old woman, also in Jiangxi, who died in December last year after visiting a live bird market days before hospitalization. The case marked the first report of human H10N8 infection, although scientists had already detected the virus in wild and domestic birds.

Meanwhile cases of the H7N9 strain, which struck China in spring 2013 and is already responsible for over 50 deaths, continue to emerge across the east and south of the country. According to a report in yesterday’s Shanghai Daily, Zhejiang Province has seen new instances of the virus for 17 consecutive days since January 9.

Although official guidance on the new H10N8 strain is yet to emerge, it is likely to point towards avoiding contact with uncooked poultry and agricultural markets where possible. There remains no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission with either strain at this stage.

UPDATE: The year’s first case of H7N9 in Beijing has been reported. Click here for full details over at our sister publication theBeijinger.

Photo courtesy of Padmanaba01 (Flickr)

Given that we are living in a city of 20-plus million, there are bound to be some nasty superbugs spreading their way around. Our office has been pretty hard hit all winter and unfortunately it seems that I brought some of this communicable nastiness home for the holidays. Save for my son (knock on wood), my wife, daughter and I spent the entire 3-day New Year Holiday holed up at home in bed sick as dogs.

Marianne’s sickness started on Sunday and by the  next afternoon she was running a fever and coughing non-stop. Things turned from bad to worse when it set in on me the next day – I was taken completely out of commission and spent the entire day Wednesday in bed. I only started feeling human again last night and am now back at work looking forward to an 8-day, post-holiday workweek (thanks, planning officials!).

In the meantime my wife deserves a medal for not only keeping it together to take care of both of us while she battles her own runny nose and scratchy throat, but also for coming up with this handy little hack to help soothe Marianne’s dry cough:

Behold the facial ionizer, which my wife had recently purchased from Taobao and had heretofore been using to hydrate her face every night before bed. Over the past few days we have discovered it can serve a second useful purpose: the steam that blows out from the top can help soothe a kid’s dry cough. Humidifiers and honey help as well, but nothing beats the combination of all three, especially when applied in a steaming bathroom with the hot water running from the shower.

One note of caution, however, the steam from these ionizers, while not scalding, comes out a little hot, so if you try this at home on your kid you should definitely be at their side the whole time make sure to keep a distance between the opening and your child’s face. Happy healing and here’s to a much healthier 2013!

The name may conjure images of Medieval plagues or equestrian illnesses, but annual outbreaks of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease have become very much a routine reality in Beijing.

Not to be confused with "Foot (or Hoof) and Mouth Disease" (which afflicts livestock), this viral born ailment is common in small children and infants and causes "fever and blister-like eruptions in the mouth and/or a skin rash." Late spring/early summer outbreaks are a common occurrence in the capital, and though it is generally not considered a very serious illness, a few deaths have been reported in Beijing in the past few years, including a one-year-old baby in April of this year.

Varying degrees of severity notwithstanding, Beijing municipal regulations stipulate that if two or more cases are reported in a single class within a week, the class must cease operations for ten days. Likewise, if ten cases are reported in a single kindergarten within a week, the entire school will be ordered to shut down operations for ten days as well.

This week one student at my daughter’s school has reportedly fallen ill (with no word, yet, on any others), so it remains to be seen if we will be obliged to babysit at home for the next couple of weeks should her class get suspended. As of this past Tuesday, parents have been restricted from entering the school grounds when dropping off or picking up their children (a measure which elicits mixed reactions in my mind). For now, it seems, the most sensible measure is for everyone in the house, especially the young ones, to continually and thoroughly wash their hands upon returning from outside.