CRONA VIRUS HISTORY AND NOW
Researchers
first isolated a corona virus in 1937. They found a corona virus responsible for
an infectious bronchitis virus in birds that had the ability to devastate
poultry stocks. Scientists first found evidence of human corona viruses (HCoV)
in the 1960s in the noses of people with the common cold. Two human corona viruses are responsible for a large proportion of common colds: OC43 and
229E. The name “corona-virus” comes from the crown-like projections on their
surfaces. “Corona” in Latin means “halo” or “crown.” Among humans, corona-virus
infections most often occur during the winter months and early spring. People
regularly become ill with a cold due to a corona-virus and may catch the same
one about 4 months later. This is because corona virus antibodies do not last
for a long time. Also, the antibodies for one strain of corona virus may be
ineffective against another one.
Cronavirus
disease 2019 had taken over the whole world by leaps and bounds. Cronavirus responsible for this diseas
belongs to a family of viruses which can cause illnesses such a the common
cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory
syndrome (MERS). In Chine during 2019, a
new generation of coronavirus was identified as the cause of a disease
outbreak. This generation of corona
virus originated in China.
A
growing list of countries is under attack and ever growing cases of COVID-19
are being noticed with a great concern.
Updates are being posted on their websites by World Health Organization
(WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who are
continuously monitoring the situation for latest developments and global
pandemic in March 2020 have been declared by WHO. Concerned groups have also issuing
recommendations for prevention and treating the illness.
The
new generation of this virus is known as the severe acute respiratory syndrom
coronavirus 2 (SARS - CoV-2). The
disease caused by this virus is called Cronavirus
Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
CAUSES
Yet
the real source of this cronavirus is unclear and it is not know exactly how
contagious this new coronavirus is and at the moment the known facts are it
appears to spread from person to person who are in close contact. It also spreads through respiratory micro
droplets released when someone with the virus sneezes or coughs. It is spreading at an exponential &
alarming rate even through currency notes.
SYMPTOMS
After
exposure signs and symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in two to fourteen days and
can include, 1. Fever, 2. Cough, 3. Difficulty in breathing or shortness of
breath. Including other signs like Sore
throat, Aches, Runny nose and tiredness.
Some people never show any symptoms.
The severity of COVID-19 can range from very mild to severe. People with existing chronic medical
conditions, such as heart or lung disease or diabetes and Old ones are at
higher risk of serious illness. This is
very similar to other respiratory illnesses like influenza.
RISK FACTORS
Risk
factors for Coronavirus diesease may include:
Travel
from or residence in an area with ongoing community spread of COVID-19 as
determined by WHO or CDC. Direct close
contact with someone who has COVID-19 — such as when a family member or health
care worker takes care of an infected person.
COMPLICATIONS
Risky
complications can include:
(1)
Pneumonia in both lungs
(2)
Organ failure in several organs
(3)
Sudden Death.
WHEN TO SEE YOUR
DOCTOR
Without any
delay contact your doctor or clinic right away if you have COVID-19 symptoms,
or you've been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or you live in or have
traveled from an area with ongoing community spread of COVID-19 as determined
by CDC and WHO. Call your doctor ahead to tell him or her about your symptoms
and recent travels and possible exposure before you go to your appointment it
will help to aleart your doctor to be prepared for his/her own defence.
Moreover, it is
appropriate for anyone with respiratory symptoms who hasn't been in an area
with ongoing community spread can contact his or her doctor or clinic for
further assessment, recommendations and guidance. For your safety let your doctor know if you
have other chronic medical conditions. As the pandemic progresses, it's
important to make sure health care is available for those in greatest need and
who are really infected with COVID-19.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES
As yet there is
no vaccine available to prevent infection with the new coronavirus, however
still you can take steps to reduce your risk of infection. WHO and CDC
recommend following precautions for avoiding COVID-19:
1. Avoid large
events and mass gatherings.
2. Avoid close
contact (about 6 feet) with anyone who is sick or has symptoms.
3. Maintain distance between yourself and
others if COVID-19 is spreading in your
community, especially if you have a higher risk of serious illness.
4.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use an
alcohol- based hand sanitizer that
contains at least 60% alcohol.
5.
Cover your mouth and nose with your elbow or a tissue when you cough or
sneeze. Throw away the used tissue.
6. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
if your hands aren't clean.
7. Avoid sharing dishes, glasses, bedding and
other household items if you're sick.
8. Clean and disinfect surfaces you often
touch on a daily basis.
9. Stay at home after returning from work, school and public areas if
you're sick, unless you're going to get medical care. Avoid taking public
transportation if you're sick.
Health
organizations doesn't recommend that healthy people wear a face mask to protect
themselves from respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. Only wear a mask if
a health care provider tells you to do so.
WHO also recommends that you must avoid eating raw or undercooked meat
or animal organs. Avoid contact with
live animals and surfaces they may have touched if you're visiting live markets
in areas that have recently had new coronavirus cases. In case you have a chronic medical condition
and may have a higher risk of serious illness, check with your doctor about
other ways to prevent dieases and protect yourself.
TRAVEL
In case you're
planning to travel internationally, first check the CDC and WHO websites for
updates and advice. Also look for any health advisories that may be in place
where you plan to travel. You may also want to talk with your doctor if you
have health conditions that make you more susceptible to respiratory infections
and complications. Avoid travelling if
possible.
VACCINE
Trials are
currently taking place to test a potential SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for the first
time in humans. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have funded the trial,
which is taking place at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research
Institute in Seattle.
In the trial, 45
healthy volunteers will receive a vaccine that contains a segment of genetic
code copied from SARS-CoV-2. As the vaccine does not contain the actual
SARS-CoV-2, the participants will not develop COVID-19.
Government
officials caution that it may take 12–18 months before the vaccine reaches the
market and explain that the main purpose of this current trial is to make sure
that there are no serious side effects.
However, many other
efforts are underway for devising new vaccines. In this article, our research
editor, Yella Hewings-Martin, Ph.D., rounded up several projects that identified
a potential vaccine and therapy targets for SARS-CoV-2.
A new case study,
appearing in the journal Nature Medicine, documents the case of a COVID-19
patient who recovered from the condition within days. The patient was a 47-year-old woman who had
contracted the virus in Wuhan, China, and the researchers examined her immune
response in their effort to understand her recovery. Prof. Katherine
Kedzierska, Head of the Human T cell Laboratory in the Department of
Microbiology and Immunology at the Doherty Institute in Melbourne, Australia,
and her colleagues found an increase in immunoglobulins — the most common type
of antibodies — in the woman’s blood samples. The scientists also found a high
number of key immune cells, such as specialized helper T cells, killer T cells,
and B cells, 7–9 days after symptom onset.
Scientists are not
able to easily cultivate human coronaviruses in the laboratory unlike the
rhinovirus, which is another cause of the common cold. This makes it difficult
to gauge the impact of the coronavirus on national economies and public health.
TYPES
Coronaviruses
belong to the subfamily Coronavirinae in the family Coronaviridae.
Different types of
human coronaviruses vary in how severe the resulting disease becomes, and how
far they can spread.
Doctors currently
recognize seven types of coronavirus that can infect humans.
Common types
include:
229E (alpha
coronavirus)
NL63 (alpha coronavirus)
OC43 (beta coronavirus)
HKU1 (beta coronavirus)
Rarer strains that
cause more severe complications include MERS-CoV, which causes Middle East
respiratory syndrome (MERS), and SARS-CoV, the virus responsible for severe
acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
In 2019, a new
strain called SARS-CoV-2 started circulating, causing the disease COVID-19.
TRANSMISSION
Very limited
research is available on how HCoV spreads from one person to the next.However,
researchers believe that the viruses transmit via fluids in the respiratory
system, such as mucus.
Coronaviruses can
spread in the following ways:
1. Coughing and
sneezing without covering the mouth can disperse droplets into the air.
2. Touching or shaking hands with a
person who has the virus can pass the virus between individuals.
3.
Making contact with a surface or object that has the virus and then touching
the nose, eyes, or mouth.
4.
Some animal coronaviruses, such as feline coronavirus (FCoV), may spread
through contact with feces. However, it is unclear whether this also applies to
human coronaviruses.
SOME FACTS
Coronaviruses will
infect most people at some time during their lifetime.
Coronaviruses can
mutate effectively, which makes them so contagious.
To STOP
transmission of corona virus people should stay at home and rest while symptoms
are active. They should also avoid close contact with other people.
For prevention
covering the mouth and nose with a tissue or handkerchief while coughing or
sneezing can also help prevent transmission. It is important to dispose of any
tissues after use and maintain hygiene around the home.
ZOONOTIC DISEASES
Diseases that pass
from animals to humans are called zoonotic diseases. They are relatively rare,
main concern when they first emerge is that they are new strains and also new
to humans, so the human body does not yet have immunity. It is often impossible
to predict what may happen. In the case of SARS, animals may have been a host
for the virus. In 2014, scientists
discovered that two new coronaviruses found in Chinese horseshoe bats are a
close relative of the SARS-coronavirus. A report published in 2014 suggested
that over 320,000 mammal viruses have not yet been discovered.
PANDEMIC
A pandemic is an
outbreak of global proportions. It happens when a bacterium or novel virus
becomes capable of spreading rapidly. It causes serious illness and can spread
easily from one person to the next. The word pandemic comes from the Greek
pandemos meaning “pertaining to all people.” The Greek word pan means “all” and
the Greek word demos means “people.”
This article discusses the difference between epidemics and pandemics,
how pandemics start, and future concerns.
SOME FACTS ABOUT
PANDEMICS
1. Pandemics are usually caused by a novel
infectious agent, an infectious agent that is newly capable of spreading
rapidly, or both.
2. The death toll
in a pandemic is generally higher than that in an epidemic.
3. The Spanish flu
was the worst pandemic in history, killing 100 million people.
4. Increased air
travel and fast mobility have increased the likelihood of new diseases
spreading.
5. Ever increasing Antibiotic resistance
increases the risk of future pandemics.
A pandemic is when
a disease spreads across a wide geographical area and affects many people.
An epidemic is
specific to one city, region, or country, but a pandemic spreads beyond
national borders, possibly worldwide.
An endemic disease
is one that is always present in a particular place or community.
An epidemic is when
the number of people who experience an infection is higher than the number
expected within a country or a part of a country.
If an infection
becomes widespread in several countries at the same time, it can become a
pandemic. A pandemic is usually caused by a new virus strain or subtype that
becomes easily transmissable between humans, or by bacteria that become
resistant to antibiotic treatment. Sometimes, pandemics are caused simply by a
new ability to spread rapidly, such as with the Black Death. Humans may have
little or no immunity against a new virus. Often a new virus cannot spread
between people, but if it changes, or mutates, it may start to spread easily.
In this case, a pandemic can result.
As In the case of
influenza (flu), seasonal outbreaks — or epidemics — are generally caused by subtypes
of a virus that is already circulating among people.
Pandemics, on the
other hand, are generally caused by novel subtypes. These subtypes have not
circulated among people before. The pandemic affects more people and can be
more deadly than an epidemic. It can also lead to more social disruption,
economic loss, and general hardship. If
an influenza pandemic were to emerge today, the following problems could
arise. People today are more
international mobile and more likely to live in cities than in the past,
factors which increase the risk of a virus spreading.
Faster communication increases the risk of
panic, and the chance that people who may be infected will travel in an attempt
to escape the disease, potentially taking the virus with them. It can take
months or years for a vaccine to become available, because pandemic viruses are
novel agents. Medical facilities would be overwhelmed, and there could be
shortages of personnel to provide vital community services, due to both the
demand and illness.
CONCLUSION
Still there is no cure for coronaviruses that
cause symptoms resembling the common cold. Treatments include self-care and
over-the-counter (OTC) medication. People can take several steps, including:
1. Resting and avoiding overexertion
2. Drinking enough water
3. Avoiding smoking and smoky areas
4. Taking acetaminophen for pain and fever
5. Using a clean humidifier or cool mist
vaporizer
People with old age and weak immune system are
more likely to become vicitims they must avoid to be infected young and healthy
must assist them in this regard. A
doctor can diagnose the virus responsible by taking a sample of respiratory
fluids, such as mucus from the nose, or blood.
Prevention is BEST than CURE.
