The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), originating in Wuhan City, Hubei province, has been reported in all regions of China and has also been detected in 23 countries around the world.

On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), in order to strengthen international measures to contain the spread of 2019-nCoV.

As of 2 February 2020, the 13th WHO situation report stated 14,557 confirmed cases have been confirmed globally, of which 14,411 were in China, which includes 304 deaths. Outside of China, 146 cases have been confirmed in 23 countries, including one death in the Philippines.

On the 31 January 2020, two cases were confirmed in the UK, with further information being available from the Public Health England (PHE) website.

This is a new and rapidly evolving situation where information on cases and the virus is being gathered and assessed daily.

Advice to travellers

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently advise against all travel to Hubei Province and all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China (not including Hong Kong and Macao). FCO travel advisories are subject to change, with travellers advised to check the FCO foreign travel advice page for the latest advice, prior to travel.

Travellers to countries reporting cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) should follow local public health advice.

Information on novel coronavirus is available on the TRAVAX (for travel healthcare practitioners) and fitfortravel (for the travelling public) websites.

Advice to healthcare practitioners

There remains a risk of imported cases to the UK, therefore health professionals should remain vigilant for symptomatic individuals who may have 2019-nCoV infection.

Guidance on testing, as well as a range of other resources and materials, is available from the Health Protection Scotland (HPS) (for Scotland) and PHE (for the rest of the UK) websites.

Source: TRAVAX, 31 January 2020

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has published four reports in its series of annual epidemiological reports on communicable diseases in Europe for the year 2017.

• Yersiniosis annual epidemiological report - in 2017, 28 countries reported 6,890 confirmed yersiniosis cases in the EU/EEA. 
• Listeriosis annual epidemiological report - in 2017, 30 countries reported 2,502 confirmed listeriosis cases in the EU/EEA.
• Salmonellosis annual epidemiological report - in 2017, 92,649 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported, of which 156 were fatal. 
• Echinococcosis annual epidemiological report - in 2017, 832 confirmed echinococcosis cases were reported in the EU/EEA. Of these, 412 cases were reported as Echinococcus granulosus, 146 as Echinococcus multilocularis and 274 as unknown species.

Source: ECDC, 30 January 2020

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published its annual update on the presence of African swine fever (ASF) in the EU, covering the period November 2018 to October 2019. Nine countries in the EU are currently affected by ASF.

The report shows that all phases of the epidemic are now represented in the EU, meaning: 

• areas recently affected following either an isolated introduction or geographic expansion from affected areas 
• affected areas that are expanding 
• areas where ASF infection has been present for some time, including areas where ASF seems to be fading out 
• non-affected areas

The situation varies substantially between member states due to multiple influences, including the structure of domestic pig production, geographical conditions and the characteristics of the wild boar population.

Source: EFSA, 30 January 2020

A new working group, consisting of members of the Scottish Parliament, academics, industry and environmental organisations, will explore options and priorities for updating Scotland’s Climate Change Plan.

The 2018-32 Climate Change Plan provides for a reduction in annual emissions of just over ten megatonnes by 2032, but new targets mean that a reduction of 25 megatonnes will now be needed by the same date. 

The group met for the first time on 30 January 2020 and will continue to meet monthly, until the plan is presented to the Scottish Parliament at the end of April 2020.

On 30 January 2020, the Scottish Government also published its Big Climate Conversation report, which details the views of individuals, communities, businesses and public sector organisations in Scotland about the difficult decisions and societal changes that are needed to tackle climate change.

Sources: Scottish Government, 28 January 2020 and 30 January 2020

Six companies have received £170,000 of Scottish Government funding to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help tackle the global climate emergency. 

Projects chosen include using AI to develop more efficient food supply chains, an AI based thermal imaging service to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from homes and a waste and resources map to identify recycling opportunities for waste and by-products.

Full details of the successful applicants can be found on the Scottish Enterprise media centre.

Source: Scottish Government, 27 January 2020

On 25 January 2020, NHS England Chief Executive Officer Sir Simon Stevens announced that NHS England and its staff will increase action to tackle the climate ‘health emergency’ this year, as he launched the ‘For a greener NHS’ campaign.

The campaign aims to prevent illness, reduce pressure on accident and emergency services and potentially save tens of thousands of lives. It is estimated that the health and care system in England is responsible for 4-5% of the country’s carbon footprint.

The causes of air pollution and climate change are often the same, so the campaign aims to address both issues. The campaign follows the launch of the Climate Assembly UK, which is discussing how the UK can best reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero.

Source: NHS England, 25 January 2020

World Cancer Day is on 4 February 2020, with this year marking the mid-way point in the three-year ‘I Am and I Will’ campaign. The campaign is a call-to-action urging for personal commitment and represents the power of individual action taken now to impact on the future.

The campaign hopes to create a long-lasting impact by increasing public awareness and engagement, building global awareness, and focusing on impact-driven action.

Source: World Cancer Day, 2020

The Scottish Environmental Incident Surveillance System (SEISS) recorded the following incident in the past week: 

• More than a dozen homes and businesses in a South Lanarkshire town were evacuated on 2 February 2020, following a suspected carbon monoxide leak. The emergency services were called to The Clock bar in Cambuslang at about 6pm after customers became unwell amid reports of a ‘chemical smell’. A specialist unit to contain chemical spills was sent to the scene in Main Street, along with three fire engines. Thirteen properties were evacuated, including the pub and several homes. A Police Scotland spokesman said a number of people were checked over but had not suffered any lasting effects. Gas engineers from Scotland's emergency gas response network SGN attended and isolated the gas supply to the pub, before performing a safety check on the property and surrounding area. It is understood that, during final checks, engineers did not find any trace of carbon monoxide. This incident was reported by BBC news.

More detailed information can be found on the SEISS website.