What is Corona Virus?
- Corona virus, a common type virus that causes infection in nose, upper throat or mouth was first identified in 1960s but it’s still a mystery from where they come from. Not all the corona viruses are dangerous but some are very serious, though. And, the new one is really very fatal and has already taken many lives in China.
- Followed by December 2019 outbreak in china, World Health Organization identified new type (2019-nCoV) virus which is an enormous and distinct family of viruses that contains the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome and also Middle East respiratory syndrome.In 2003, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) affected nearly 773 people and resulted to death. Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) was first appeared in 2012 in Saudi Arabia, where approximately 850 people died, further viral of disease to other countries in Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe. Later in 2014, two people were diagnosed with corona virus in America and Florida who then returned from Saudi Arabia. In 2015, there were symptoms of MERS in Korea which is said to be largest spread outside the Arabian Peninsula.
- Corona virus results in respiratory infection in people. It is basically first identified in Wuhan, China. 2019-nCoV spreads from person to person. This disease is spreading through respiratory droplets which means when person from virus coughs or sneezes, and the other person breathes in.It just takes 6 feet closeness with the infectious person to spread this way. It is to be examined, whether it’s spreading by touching an object that has the virus on it and therefore touching own mouth, nose or eyes. The tremendous threat is for the people who are in China or who have just travelled to China. People who have been in immediate connection with infected people are at massive risk inclusive of health care employees who care for people with 2019-nCoV.
How is Corona Virus caused?
- It is found that 2019-nCoV all started with the people who had links to an animal and seafood market. This originally signifies that animals deliver the virus to humans. Yet, people with a recent diagnosis had no alliance with or exposure to the seafood market, which further means that humans can transmit the virus to each other. Earlier these respiratory problems that develop from corona viruses, such as SARS and MERS have spread through close contacts. Though some viruses are highly infectious and 2019-nCoV is rapidly spreading over the world.
- In 2019, the centres of disease control and Prevention (CDC) began surveying the case of a corona virus. Experts initially identified the virus in Wuhan, China and named it 2019 Novel Corona Virus. Nearly more than 1000 people possess the virus in China. Heath authorities have identified several people with 2019-nCoV all across the world including 5 people within the U.S. On 31st January, 2020 the virus passed from one person to different and World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency correlating 2019-nCoV.
- SARS corona virus generally carries to a life endangering form of pneumonia. This virus started in Guangdong Province in southern China in 2002, ultimately reaching Hong Kong. From there on, it rapidly spread around the world infecting 36 countries all together. The unusual SARS-nCoV symptoms generate within a week and begin with a fever. Earlier, people used to reproduce flu-like symptoms like breathlessness, aches, dry coughing, diarrhoea and Pneumonia too at the later stage, where SARS stimulates failures of lungs, heart or liver.
- MERS, caused by the MERS-CoV corona virus, was first recognized in 2012. This drastic respiratory illness first occurred in Saudi Arabia and, since then, has spread to other countries. The virus has reached the U.S., and the largest outbreak outside the Arabian Peninsula occurred in South Korea in 2015. Symptoms involve fever, breathlessness, and coughing. The disease spread through close contact with people who have been already affected. MERS is destructive in 30 to 40 percent of people who treated with it.
What are the symptoms of a Corona virus?
- Cold symptoms usually set in from two to four days after corona virus disease and they are commonly modest in beginning. Though symptoms differ from person to person and some kinds of the virus can be harmful. Symptoms include sneezing, cough, fever, runny nose, sore throat, exacerbated asthma, fatigue, and headache. Human corona viruses cannot be developed in the laboratory skilfully unlike the rhinovirus, another reason of the common cold. This makes it tough to measure the corona virus consequence on nationwide economies and public health. The virus credible can be diagnosed by seizing a sample of respiratory fluids, such as mucus from the nose, or blood.
- Corona virus can also cause pneumonia, bronchitis. It can widespread easily in people who have unstable and weak immune system, mainly in infants, senior citizens etc. MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV cause severe symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath which results in pneumonia. Serious outbreaks may affect kidney failure and steady death.
How did it start globally?
- Corona viruses were first identified long back in 1960s and they were named as corona because they looked like crown-shape. Most corona viruses’ spreads through coughing and sneezing or by touching the infectious person’s hand or face or objects that infected people have touched. It was first appeared in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and was then transmitted to other Middle East countries like Africa, Asia or Europe. In April 2014, the first American was hospitalized with MERS who travelled from Saudi Arabia to back America. Following this in 2015, there was largest outbreak of MERS in Korea. But then in early 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) declared a new type of virus and named it 2019 novel corona virus (2019-nCoV) which is found or identified in China.
- The corona virus death moved to 2000 in China, killing more than SARS epidemic of 2002-2003. The number of infections has crossed 37,000, according to China’s National Health Commission. Outside China, there have been 2 deaths confirmed; one in Hong Kong and one in Philippines.
- The death rate of this new corona virus appears to be 2% which is quite less than SARS death rate of 10% but the corona virus outbreak is in early stages and there is potential to mutate it in early phase.
What are the precautions to be taken to avoid Corona virus?
Based on the previous SARS corona virus outburst, here are few important precautions to be taken care to avoid corona virus:
- Repeatedly, wash your hands with either soap or alcohol based rubs.
- Prevent or avoid spending time with people who have a fever or cough.
- If you feel the symptoms of virus like cough, fever, slow breath then contact your doctor as soon as possible.
- Enclose your mouth when you cough or sneeze and throw used issues immediately.
- Avoid going to animal market or even if you visit animal market where corona virus case is doubted, resist animals and any ground they may have touched.
- Make sure any animal product you utilize in meals is completely and neatly cooked. Organize raw meat carefully.
- Avoid visiting areas where there is close contact with corona virus infection and try to figure out infection as this shows sign of infection within 2-14 days maximum.
- On Jan 7, 2020 authorities of China ascertained the identity of the new virus and started serving with the WHO on the same day to understand further about the virus. Chinese authorities have reacted to the corona virus outbreak with a remarkable lock down of Hubei region. The travel constraints are affecting millions of people every day in cities. Airports, schools and public transportation have been shut down to avoid additional spread of infection.
- Experts say that this corona virus is less infectious and dangerous than the SARS epidemic. So, if proper and strong measures will be taken, we all together will be able to blunt the impact of the virus. Also, SARS was less transmissible but more deadly and it was timely controlled by public health measures. Corona virus seems to be more transmissible but is less deadly and it can be controlled too.
Why should one be panicked for Corona virus?
- Like other corona viruses that come from animals, this new member of corona virus has never been encountered earlier. Numerous initially infected people often purchased from the Huainan seafood wholesale market in the centre of the Chinese city, which also traded live and newly butchered animals.
- One should be panicked as this virus can also causes pneumonia. Those who are getting infected are reported to suffer cough, fever or breathing problems and in many cases there can be organ failure. There are no antibiotics of this viral pneumonia and an antiviral medication which doctors have is of no help. If people are admitted to hospital, they may get support for their lungs and other organs and healing majorly rely on the stability of their immune system. Many of those people who have died were already in poor health conditions.
- It is worsening the situation as corona virus is transmitting human-to-human. There have been around 800 deaths from the virus globally. The mortality rate is nearly 2%. This estimation is likely to be calculated since virus is infected. It is said that there is no vaccine for the new corona virus which means it will more difficult for the elderly people or those who already have respiratory or immune problems – to protect themselves. Be smart and get the flu vaccine that will reduce the burden on health services. However, there have been rumours that some antidote related to HIV has been discovered to cure the virus. But, it’s still under observation and confirmation is yet to be made on it.
- Healthcare workers or employees could be at higher risk if they suddenly came across someone who is suffering with respiratory indications who has travelled to an infectious region. Normally, corona virus appears to be striking older people hardest following the few cases of children. There is no need to be panicked as the spread of the virus outside China is unexpected developed. The WHO has declared the outbreak to be a public health emergency of international concern but it needs to be prevented as soon as possible and avoid the touch, smell and breath-in of the infection to further spread among people.
Moreover, it is very important to take all the necessary precautions issued by various medical organizations and medical experts all across the world. Although a lot of information is coming out that antidote for the virus was found, still it needs to be confirmed and authenticated.
Meanwhile, it is important to keep yourself updated about the virus and it’s consequences, symptoms and how it gets transmitted. In fact, most of the countries, especially Asian countries, have started taking serious precautions to stop it from spreading to other people.