The Wuhan Virus–What You Need To Know
On December 31st, China alerted the WHO of several cases of respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, breaking out across the country, with the province of Wuhan as the epicenter. By early January 2020, the number of severe cases increased drastically and the WHO declared the cause to be a viral infection caused by a coronavirus.
What is a coronavirus?
First discovered in the 1960s, the coronavirus is a large family of viruses that commonly affect mammals and birds and, in rare cases, also spread to humans–a process called zoonosis. The virus is known for causing various upper and lower respiratory diseases, ranging from the common cold to severe pneumonia. The coronavirus gets it named due to its distinct structure, with its outer surface covered in spike like projections, depicting a corona; meaning a crown or wreath.
The Wuhan coronavirus
The Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), also called the Wuhan virus, is a new strain of the coronavirus and the seventh in line known to infect humans. Before this, there were two other strains that caused large-scale devastation around the globe; MERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome–identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012, spread to 27 countries, 858 deaths) and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome–appeared in Southern China in 2002, spread to 30 countries, 813 deaths).
What is the Origin?
The Wuhan virus is said to have spread from the local seafood market that also sold live animals. The origin animal is yet unknown, but identifying the animal could help control the outbreak. As of Wednesday morning, 132 people have died in China and over 5400 cases have been confirmed. The virus has spread to a total of 14 other countries, all through people who visited China at some point during the last month.
How is it being dealt with?
There is no known cure for the virus as of yet and no vaccines have been licensed. With new cases turning up, though, vigorous research has been assumed by the governments of China and Thailand where researches are working on finding ways to control the outbreak. One possible way would be to use agents to block the receptors which the virus uses to infect human cells. Currently, China is working on building two hospitals in Wuhan in ten days, specifically for the coronavirus outbreak and the people it has affected.
What can the people do?
The common symptoms of the infection include respiratory symptoms, 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. Its important to be aware of the indications in order to take precautions on time.
Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.
References:
https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/asia/china-wuhan-coronavirus-maps.html
