As Pandemic Spreads, The Developing World Looks Like The Next Target

These are the richer parts of East Asia — South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore — along with Europe and the United States. Analysts caution that it's impossible to predict with certainty which countries will be hit hardest and which may be able to mount an effective defense. But a list of vulnerable nations includes countries with huge populations and widespread poverty, such as Brazil, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Pakistan. To date, the number of confirmed cases in these countries has been relatively low, ranging from fewer than 5,000 in Brazil to just over 100 in Nigeria. In India, the world's second most populous nation with 1.3 billion people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed a 21-day lockdown last week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologized for imposing a three-week national lockdown, but said it was "needed to win" the battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologized for imposing a three-week national lockdown, but said it was "needed to win" the battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Mahesh Kumar A/AP The measures imposed in wealthier countries may not be realistic in poorer ones, says Jennifer Nuzzo , an epidemiologist and director of the Outbreak Observatory at Johns Hopkins University's Center for Health Security. Modi's moves in India sparked a mass migration, with millions of the urban poor fleeing for their home villages. "I do really worry that when governments announce an intention to implement lockdowns, it winds up scattering cases and it becomes much harder to control when you don't know where everyone went."