Recent Virus: Coronavirus

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The newly identified virus Coronavirus may trigger a severe threat to human health. Coronavirus is a group of large viruses/ family of viruses that do not cause any real clinical illness (mild to moderate respiratory illness) except the occasional cold. Coronavirus is identified in the mid 1960s. It named as corona virus due to its crown-like projection on the surface. Corona is a latin word for crown. It is specifically envelope RNA virus. These viruses have in animal reservoir particularly bats.

They are less commonly cause via pneumonia or trigger exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Actually, it is very fragile that they only survive outside the body for around 24 hours and they can be easily destroyed by household detergent and cleaning product.

 However, there are some coronavirus that are not so benign. At this moment, we know that there are 7 types of corona virus that can infect human, and there are some evolved from the animals that can infect human cause severe symptoms:
  1. SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)
  2. MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome)
Coronavirus is a large group of viruses, including SARS and MERS that can cause severe health threat.

To better corona virus, we can look back to the previous virus that spread over the world. SARS was identified in 2002, China, there are 8000 infection cases reported and 800 died. Within 9 months, the virus had gone. In 2003, there were only 3 outbreaks originated in lab studying SARS and only fewer than 10 people involved. It was thought to be originated from bat and civet cats consumed as delicacy in China.

For MERS, it was first identified in 2012, Saudi Arabia.  There are 10 times of significant outbreaks compared to SARS. There are 2500 cases reported and 850 death that make it more deadly than SARS.

When the rogue coronavirus develops, it affects the respiratory system, symptoms are like:
  1. fever
  2. influneza 
  3. coughing
  4. running nose
  5. headache
  6. sore throat
  7. breathing difficulties
  8. feeling poorly
  9. pneumonia
  10.  kidney failure
Health care workers are at a high risk of infection.

However, it is lethal of which is reported that 5 out of 10 being died after infected.


It spreads through the air by the host's coughing and sneezing, that the tiny droplet containing the virus become airborne and can be inhaled by the surrounding people. 

Initially, it is circulated within animals. After the virus mutated, it can transmit spreadably from person to person.

Still, it is in an early stage of outbreak, there are multiple of uncertainties we need to consider:
  1. how to trace back the contact
  2. key characteristics
  3. incubation period, how long does it take to show symptoms when did they become infectious
  4. how transmissible it is so that how easy it is to spread from person to person
  5. the degree of severity
After know these, we can firmly assess the risk.
The government claimed the coronavirus is thought to be originated from the wet market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan where meat is alongside live animals and the hygiene is not is very severe that the transmission of virus from animals to humans so-called spillover event.

Up to 24, 2020, 584 cases including 17 deaths reported to the World Health Organisation. It is reported that the people died have underlying health condition and 25% of the people infect are in severe.

The duration of contagion incubation period is unknown.

Due to globalisation, human activities are much more interconnected and disease in return can be spread out  much more rapidly. 

The world has never been as prepared as it is now. This flu-like syndrome with pneumonia which is being picked up in the middle of the flu season. Within a few week, the sequence of the virus can be found and the test is also available. What's more, there are free access of information that we can further investigate on the virus straightaway.  

It is currently called Novel Coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCOV) or Wuhan SARS, the name is not yet confirmed due to political decision.

Compared to SARS and Ebola, this is incredibly serious that the virus is transmitted from live animals to humans, probably bats in Wuhan and then it goes from one person to another. This respiratory disease can be transmitted through coughing, sneezing and even touching, which is different the way that Ebola is transmitted. 

The most urgent and important
we don't have

Treatment
There is no direct treatment to the coronavirus, bu the patients can be managed through symptomatic care and supportive care.

hand washing
disinfection

How to stop it from spreading

  1. screening people who are arriving through any transportation especially from Wuhan, China
  2. Working on developing a rapid diagnostic test 
  3. starting to work on a vaccine
  4. Set up a global community to solve this global issue

When you cough or sneeze, make sure you have the tissue to cover them and then pin it to kill the virus

prognosis

Reference