Coronavirus- Virus of International Concern

I have been closely following this viral disease- coronavirus update on Twitter since December 31st 2019 when it was reported by WHO.

Initially, I was worried about the likes of myself that look forward to travelling to China this year, then the fact that Chinese would be celebrating their New year being in the news for Coronavirus and trying to stay healthy plus alive.

My worries intensified how it would impact world business owing that large business production are carried out and dispatched from China.

Will this Virus spread via package recieved from China? (Continue reading to find out…)

Is this another big pharmaceutical plot to introduce vaccine or drug?

Like someone jokingly wrote about : they want to reduce their population again… could this be true?

Well, keep reading…

Coronavirus

Coronaviruses (CoV) are viruses that cause illness ranging but not limited to common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

They are viruses that affects animals at large but now Humans are sufferers hence one of the known zoonotic disease.

It is projected as of the time this post was written that it has a rough 14 days of incubation which could be one of the reasons why one may become affected but wouldn’t know until manifestation of respiratory symptoms like fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death of which there has been a rise in death toll in Wuhan China where the first incidence was reported .

Coronavirus, pneumonia-like virus was reported in Wuhan, China, on Dec. 31, 2019. The virus appears to have originated in the 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 Huanan market sells fish, as well as meat from other animals, including bats and snakes.

This virus has however spread to various other countries, including Thailand, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States, Australia, France, Taiwan, among others.

Coronavirus so far can be prevented by regular hand washing(this can’t be emphasized enough, alot of diseases can be prevented through this), covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing (it costs no penny to do this), thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing (smiles because my group mates are expert in doing this).

Investigations carried out found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans in China in 2002 (not a lover of keeping cats as pets, more reason to avoid cats?) and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

Until when this post was written, no vaccine has been developed in respect to this virus so this is not another Big Pharmaceutical plot to introduce vaccine.

It’s an entirely new viral disease to which hands in health sector, including WHO are ensuring to control its spread however has been declared public health emergency of international concern by WHO.

There is no specific treatment for Coronavirus yet though some companies have admitted to have started working on developing medications and vaccines against this virus, however the presenting symptoms of an individual are treated via

• Getting plenty of rest.
• Drinking enough fluids.
• Take over-the-counter medicine for a sore throat and fever. But don’t give aspirin to children or teens younger than 19.
• Use of humidifier or steamy shower can also help ease a sore and scratchy throat.
• Increase your immune level with fruits and vitamins like Elderberry .

Due to the fact that alot of people shop from china directly or indirectly, it has become a cause for concern whether one can become infected through packages sent from China.

To answer that, there is no evidence this is a risk. Some diseases – including the coronavirus that causes Sars – can spread through surfaces contaminated by people coughing or sneezing on them.

It has not been shown this new coronavirus can do that. Even if it could, there would still be questions about whether international shipping would be a major problem.

Cold viruses tend to survive less than 24 hours outside the human body although norovirus (a severe stomach bug) can last months outside the body. A reassuring fact so far is that these viral cases seem to require close contact with another person – a family member or healthcare worker – in order to spread.

Upon declaring Coronavirus public health emergency of international concern by WHO, I really hoped they had placed or would place travel ban for now to and out of the epidemic center.

This I believe would help curtail its spread especially to countries with fragile health systems.

To everyone out there, stay safe for this virus is real and remember it’s a fight against the virus and not against people from the epidemic center for I have seen some unnice posts about avoiding chinese co workers or neighbours and this is truly uncool. They deserve all right now to get through this.

Ps: This is another post amongst others that I will keep updating from time to time, keeping checking to stay updated.

Till my next post, stay Healthy!