Do’s & Don’t to prevent #SARSCoV-2.
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We all are facing an emerging epidemic of the “Novel Corona Virus (SARS CoV-2)” worldwide. It’s a dangerous situation which we all have to control in time else it’ll spread beyond the measures of our hand. Let me share a few facts on Coronavirus and why is it dangerous.
WHO has declared Coronavirus outbreak a Medical Emergency.
The origin of the epidemic is traced to Wuhan, China. Till date 9800 confirmed cases are there out of which 98 are in 18 countries outside China. 213 reported death have been confirmed yet.
India’s first documented case in Kerela
China has immediately taken action to control the situation. China documented the first case on 30th Dec 2019.
- Devoted hospitals for the outbreak
- Declared holidays
- Closed the borders
- Closed animal markets
- Medical clearance before immigration & Emigration.
What is Corona Virus?
Coronavirus is a rapidly evolving virus that causes rapidly spreading respiratory tract infections. It belongs to the family (Coronaviridae) of culprit virus that caused MERS(Middle East respiratory Syndrome) & SARS (Severe acute respiratory infection). It’ a Zoonotic Virus i.e. it can transmit between Animals & Humans.
[Tweet “CoVID-19 is a very Infective disease but it has Very low Mortality Rate (1.9-3-4%)”]
What are the Symptoms?
Symptoms might be very mild or severe varying on the immunity of the person.
The incubation period of the virus is 2-14 days.
- Fever
- Cold
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Breathing difficulty
- Feeling unwell
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
Why is it dangerous?
It can cause severe complications which are worst with comorbidities like Diabetes, Renal Diseases, Immunocompromised conditions:
- Pneumonia
- Severe respiratory failure
- Kidney failure
- Death
Visit the doctor as soon as you encounter any of the symptoms or you’ve come in contact with a sick person.
No vaccine is yet available
Treatment:
There’s no cure, only supportive treatment.
Supportive Symptomatic treatment is available but no cure is available for the disease. The vaccine is not yet manufactured but work is under process.
Precautions:
In this case, precaution is better than cure literally for the betterment of self and others.
- Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
- Use hand sanitizer
- Cover mouth & nose during sneezing
- do not touch nose, eyes or mouth without cleaning hands
- Use masks (N95/ N100) if visiting an infected patient or treating them.
- Avoid close contact with people showing symptoms
- Avoid close animal contact
- Visit a doctor as soon as you experience any of the above symptoms
Investigations available for diagnosis:
- Nasopharyngeal/ oral swab
- Bronchoalveolar lavage
- Tracheal aspirate
- RT-PCR for Virus
Till date, India has fared well despite the proximity with China. I hope that India prevails well, 1st case has been detected in Kerela and is in isolation. The patient is student of Wuhan University, China & is presently stable and doing well.
India is evacuating 300 students from Wuhan. they’ll be kept in isolation till cleared.
Precautionary Steps taken by India:
- Fever scanners on major international Airport
- Screening of passengers
- Isolation Facilities opened near Airport in Manesar (Haryana)
- Nearest Testing Centers: AIIMS, RML, LHMC, DDUH.
More on COVID-19: How to Differentiate between COVID-19 & Flu?
Be Healthy, Be Aware
For Live updates on Virus Spread visit: Here
Disclaimer: This article is for reference purposes only, under no circumstances it should be used as a replacement of medical opinion by Professionals. Any decision regarding health and health care should be taken after professional advice only. Health care advice and information shared by the author are best to her knowledge. We disclaim all responsibilities for any inadvertent omission/ commission by the author or the website.
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We don’t know whether this will be an epidemic or a pandemic. The corona virus is rapidly spreading and it is somewhat scary to read the news every day about more and more cases testing positive. Even more alarming is the fact that there is no vaccine yet and all we can do is follow some basic hygiene. Let’s hope it comes under control soon! Thank you for the information, Richa.
Indeed Vidya this epidemic is turning into pandemic right in front of our eyes.
The number of people affected by the coronavirus is on the rise and as health authorities are grappling with its outbreak, it’s best that we know how it spreads and take necessary precautions. Thanks for this timely and informative post, Richa!
This is very informative. We all need to be extremely careful and make sure we don’t spread it to others. It’s scary how these deadly diseases spread so fast. My heart goes out for all the patients and the pets that have been ordered to be killed.
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Every day we read about the coronavirus in the papers but the one thing we fail to read is the presence of any cure! Thanks for this post, RIcha, for so many of us are ignorant about the virus and the symptoms, and the care we need to take to stay safe!
Hi Dr. Mina, this was such an informative post. Thank You so much for adding the part about those who would be most at risk.
My concern is that people panic when they hear of these viruses, focusing on the severe cases and deaths, rather than the hundreds and thousands of other patients who contracted the virus and healed perfectly because their immune systems were not compromised.
I stand to be corrected, but my belief is that when someone with a healthy immune system contracts Corona virus it causes nothing more than common flu symptoms and no further complications. I say this because that’s what happened to me when I contracted “swine flu”. I was over it in a week, without a course of antibiotics, just like any cold or flu.
that’s totally right if immunity is strong then the symptoms would be mild
Interesting article.