In the age of rapid inventions, discoveries of new illnesses keep reminding us about the level of human vulnerability. Every now and then, we are faced with new threats, viral or bacterial, which soon spiral out of control. Right now, the world is grappling with the new coronavirus, which is believed to have erupted in Hubie province, China, in December. After some weeks, the medical condition, which causes pneumonia through human-to-human transmission, has infected 571 people so far, according to the China National Health Commission. Cases of coronavirus have also surfaced in Thailand, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, the United States and South Korea. People wearing face masks at public places has become a new normal in these countries and on airports dealing with flights from these places. It is high time the problem was treated as a global one, instead of leaving it to China to handle it alone. Indifference may cost all of us dearly. The diseases spreading from human-to-human interactions can be effectively contained by cutting down public activities, preventing the infected people from contacting other people, and so on. These are the only measures to combat the disease as so far no specific treatment of the new virus has been put on the market. China has effectively taken such measures at the epicenter of the outbreak and other parts of the country besides preventing virus carriers from boarding flights. Chinese authorities are checking passengers’ body temperature at all airports and ports, where suspected people are held and sent to designated medical institutions. Pakistanis, being neighbours to China, should be aware of the outbreak. The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination has alerted the Disease Surveillance Division and Central Health Establishment to check the likely outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in Pakistan. Health authorities need to enforce the guidelines of the World Health Organisation in hospitals. Only setting up surveillance counters at airports may not be sufficient. *