Coronavirus - The New Terror of the World || Are You Ready ||
After SARS, the world is again in the grip of
another virus, though presently limited in eastern countries – it is
dangerously spreading its wings. We are talking here about Corona virus. This virus
has been detected in Wuhan city of China and as on January 25th,
have already infected 2000 Chinese citizens and death toll lies around 50
lives.
As per the news report, the virus was first
reported on December 31st and in short span – have spread. Chinese
scientists have linked the disease to a family of viruses known as
corona viruses, which include the deadly SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome
(MERS).
What is a Coronavirus ?
The news report available claims that this virus
belongs to family known as Coronaviridae. Under an electron microscope, they
looked like spiked rings. These virus contains a strand of RNA in their envelop
Coronaviruses belong to a family known as
Coronaviridae, and under an electron microscope they look like spiked rings.
They're named for these spikes, which form a halo around their viral envelope.
Though, these types of virus are found in animals
(both pets, livestock and wild animals), the new reports have suggested that it
can easily transmitted between humans.
Origin of the Virus ?
News report suggest that the virus was first discovered in Huanan
Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, a Chinese city about 650 miles south of
Beijing that has a population of more than 11 million people. The market
normally sells meat. The market was closed down on Jan 1st, 2020.
Raina MacIntyre, a head of the bio security research program at the
University of New South Wales' Kirby Institute commented “Testing of animals in
the Wuhan area, including sampling from the markets, will provide more
information,"
Spread of the Virus ?
As per the latest data available – as on January,
26th – the spread of virus can be categorized in following countries
-
· China: 1,989 confirmed cases
·
Thailand: 7 confirmed cases
·
Australia: 4 confirmed cases
·
Malaysia: 3 confirmed cases
·
Singapore:
3 confirmed cases
·
France: 3 confirmed cases
·
Vietnam: 2 confirmed cases
·
Japan: 3
confirmed cases
·
South Korea: 2 confirmed cases
·
US: 2
confirmed cases
·
Nepal: 1 confirmed case
How does the
coronavirus spread?
Though initial reports
suggested that this was animal to Human transmission, new reports are
confirming that human-to-human transmission has followed.
On Monday, the University of
Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy reported that health workers in China had been infected with the virus.
During the SARS epidemic this was a notable turning point, as health workers
moving between countries spread the disease.
Chinese authorities have since
confirmed that health workers have been infected with the virus, suggesting
human-to-human transmission.
Initial Reaction
China has shut down Wuhan to reduce the spread of the
virus, cancelling transportation leaving the city starting at 10 a.m. Thursday.
The travel restrictions were extended to four other cities (Huanggang,
Ezhou, Chibi and Zhijiang) later that day, and constraints were announced in eight more cities on Friday -- impacting
more than 35 million people.
The restrictions come during a
busy travel period for China, when citizens typically travel for the Lunar New
Year. Major public events Chinese capital Beijing have been canceled, and both
Beijing's Forbidden City and Shanghai's Disneyland said they'd close
from Sat
What are the symptoms?
Coronovirus basically shows the flu like symptoms:
According to the report, patients present with this
virus shows following traits:
· Fever, elevated
body temperature.
· Dry cough.
· Fatigue or muscle
pain.
· Breathing
difficulties.
Less common symptoms of coronavirus include:
· Coughing up mucus
or blood.
· Headaches.
· Diarrhea.
As the disease progresses, patients also come down
with pneumonia, which inflames the lungs and causes them to fill with fluid.
This can be detected by an X-ray and was present in all 41 cases studied.
Is there a treatment for coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are notoriously
hardy organisms. They're effective at hiding from the human immune system, and
we haven't developed any reliable treatments or vaccines that can eradicate
them. In most cases, health officials attempt to deal with the symptoms.
How to reduce
your risk of coronavirus
Confirmed news are not available for this. Though
as per the initial reports, following can help in preventing the disease:
· Clean hands with
soap and water or alcohol based hand rub
· Cover nose and
moth when coughing and sneezing with tissue or flexed elbow
· Avoid close
contact with anyone with cold or flu like symptoms
· Thoroughly cooked
meats and eggs
· Avoid unprotected
contact with live farm or wild animal.
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