An outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, has been linked to a newly-discovered coronavirus.

As of 12 January 2020, there have been 41 confirmed cases and one death. The death occurred in a patient with serious underlying medical conditions.

Coronaviruses are a well-recognised cause of human illnesses that range from mild to severe. This outbreak has been linked to possible exposure to infection at the South China Seafood City market in Wuhan. No cases have been confirmed outside the city.

While the risk to UK travellers to Wuhan is currently considered low, because of this incident and the general ongoing risk of avian flu in China, travellers are advised to take simple precautions such as practicing good hand, personal and respiratory hygiene, and to minimise contact with birds and animals in markets in Wuhan or elsewhere in China.

If travellers returning from Wuhan or elsewhere in China become unwell within 14 days of their return to the UK, particularly with respiratory symptoms, they should call their GP or NHS 111 and report their recent travel details.

Further information and travel advice can be found on the UK Government website. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has also published a rapid risk assessment on the outbreak.

Further information on travel to China can be found on the TRAVAX (for health professionals) and fitfortravel (for the general public) websites.

Sources: TRAVAX, 10 January 2020 and World Health Organization (WHO), 12 January 2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for more funding to combat the measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), after reporting over 6,000 deaths.

Under the leadership of the DRC Ministry of Health, the WHO, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, and other partner agencies vaccinated more than 18 million children under five years-old across the DRC in 2019. However, in some areas, routine vaccination coverage remains low and 25% of the reported measles cases are in children over the age of five.

Since the start of 2019, around 310,000 suspected measles cases have been reported. The epidemic has been aggravated by low vaccination coverage among vulnerable communities, malnutrition, weak public health systems, outbreaks of other epidemic-prone diseases and healthcare access issues.

Despite $27.6 million having been spent, a lack of funding remains an issue, with a further $40 million required for a six-month plan to extend the vaccination to children between six and 14 years and to improve the outbreak response beyond vaccination to include improving treatment, health education, community engagement, epidemiological surveillance and response coordination.

The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, Médecins du Monde, Médecins Sans Frontières, United Nations Children’s Fund, the WHO and other partners have been supporting the DRC government to bring the epidemic under control. In December 2019, the WHO trained 60 health professionals from the DRC Ministry of Health to conduct a range of services including community engagement, health education and surveillance. These health professionals are currently being deployed as part of the response.

Source: WHO, 7 January 2020

A wildfire is an unplanned fire in a natural area such as forest, grassland or prairie. Wildfires, which can start naturally or trough human activity, can be unpredictable, fast-moving and destructive. The risk of a fire occurring increases during dry periods, droughts and where there are strong winds. Wildfires occur seasonally in some countries.

Because of the impact of global warming on climate change, it is predicted that the frequency of wildfires will increase. During recent years, wildfires have occurred in many areas of the world including the Arctic region, Australia and Tasmania, Bolivia, Brazil and the Amazon basin region, Canada, the Canary Islands, Greece, Indonesia, Russia, and the US.

As well as immediate danger caused by burns, smoke lingers in the area of the fire and can also spread, which may cause short or long-term health effects on respiratory or cardiac function.

Travellers are advised that, if travelling to an area that is affected by wildfires, they should:

• Prepare by checking the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website for current travel advisories and follow advice provided.
• Discuss travel plans with their healthcare provider, especially if they have a pre-existing condition that might make them more vulnerable to the effects of smoke. 
• Check the country information for other health advice. 
• Obtain comprehensive travel health insurance that covers all activities they want to do, and any pre-existing health conditions that they have.

If travellers are in an area which is under a fire warning, they should move to a safe area and follow the instructions of local authorities.

Source: National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC), 8 January 2020

The Scottish Parliament has published a new research briefing which discusses the implications of the UK leaving the EU for environmental governance in Scotland.

The briefing reviews the outstanding environmental governance issues in preparation for the UK leaving the EU, considers actions already taken by the Scottish Government, and reviews plans previously announced in the 2019-2020 Programme for Government.

Relevant matters are examined in light of recent developments at UK-level, including those which have taken place after the general election of December 2019.

Source: Scottish Parliament, 9 January 2020

Scottish Forestry has opened a consultation to seek the views of all who have an interest in policy, support and regulation of forests and woodlands across Scotland.

The consultation aims to gather views on the new organisation’s proposed purpose and their strategic goals, which will frame the delivery of its work over the next three years.

Following the consultation, a revised draft strategy will be published which will take into account the views expressed, as well as reflecting new developments. A breakdown of responses and how they were addressed will also be published.

The consultation opened on 8 January and will close on 5 February 2020.

Source: Scottish Government, 8 January 2020

The installation of a new hydro power generator has led to Scottish Water’s Castle Moffat treatment works becoming the organisation’s most environmentally friendly site.

The water treatment works, just south of Garvald in East Lothian, abstracts water from Whiteadder Reservoir and now generates more energy than it uses. It is the only Scottish Water asset where  pumped water is used to power a site and it generates 750,000 kWh/annum, enough to power 2,416 homes.

The new hydro power generator and control panel were upgraded in a £200,000 investment in May 2019.

Source: Scottish Water, 7 January 2020

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

• BBC news reported that two people were taken to hospital after a fire at a chemical plant in the Scottish Borders. Emergency services were called to Rathburn Chemicals in Walkerburn shortly before 7.00am on 10 January 2020. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) were at the scene for several hours before the fire was fully put out at 2.30pm the same day. The SFRS advised acetonitrile, a volatile solvent, and pentane, a gas, were the main chemicals involved in the incident. Inhalation of these chemicals can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness and respiratory irritation. The SFRS attended with HAZMAT support unit and advised there are no on-going issues with public exposure to chemicals. There were also concerns regarding potential asbestos exposure as roofing material that was thought to contain asbestos was dispersed locally. However, professional advice was sought for the management of asbestos risks. Generally, asbestos readily disintegrates into a fine dust during fires and this is often of a lower pathogenicity than the original fibres. The use of water and foam when controlling fires also inhibits the spread of fibres. Two casualties were treated at the scene and then taken to Borders General Hospital. The local primary school was also closed as a precaution and the A72 was also closed in the area and diversions put in place. The road has since reopened.

More detailed information can be found on the SEISS website, while additional information regarding asbestos can be found on the HPS website.