CoronaVirus Outbreak: All you need to Know about the 2019 Coron…
Oluwatimilehin Ayoni
Coronaviruses (CoV) according to World Health Organization (WHO) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold, pneumonia to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).
Credit: Aljazeera
Discovery of CoronaVirus
CoronaVirus were discovered in the 1960s. The earliest ones discovered were infectious bronchitis virus in chickens and two viruses from the nasal cavities of human patients with the common cold that were subsequently named human coronavirus 229E and human coronavirus OC43. Other members of this family have since been identified, including SARS-CoV in 2003, HCoV NL63 in 2004, HKU1 in 2005, MERS-CoV in 2012, and 2019-nCoV in 2019; most of these have been involved in serious respiratory tract infections.
It could be said to be the largest sized virus
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012 spread to 27 countries, 2,494 confirmed cases and 858 deaths
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) emerged in southern China in 2002- spread to 30 countries 8,437 cases and 813 death cases
2019- novel coronavirus (nCoV)
Credit: livescience.com
A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. It first outbreak was on the 31st December, 2019 in Wuhan, China. It was named by 2019-novel CoronaVirus 2019-nCoV by the World Health Organization as it was traced to novel strain of coronavirus.
Causes of CoronaVirus
Research reveals the disease to have originated from bats.
Prevention of CoronaVirus
Recommendation to prevent the spread of the viruses include regular;
* Regular hand washing with antiseptics or alcohol tincture
* 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.
Organs Affected by CoronaVirus
It affects the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract in mammals and birds.
Replication of CoronaVirus
The CoronaVirus have physiological features which enables it to attach to the organelles in the cell and pour out its genome into the cytoplasm for replication.
It can replicate into as many other viral unit using the host to derive energy.
Symptoms of CoronaVirus
Common signs of infection include
* Common cold with major symptoms, e.g. fever, throat swollen adenoids,
* Unknown incubation period
* Respiratory symptoms,
* Fever,
* Severe Cough,
* Breathing difficulties as it affects the respiratory tract.
In more severe cases, infection can cause
* Pneumonia,
* Severe acute respiratory syndrome,
* Impaired liver and Kidney function and
* Death.
How CoronaVirus is transmitted
The virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact(usually for a long while) via respiratory droplet during sneezing and coughing.
Cure for CoronaVirus
Scientists are currently working on cure but chloroquine — an approved and widely used anti-malarial and autoimmune disease drugs was effective in stopping the virus from spreading in human cells in the lab while remdesivir stopped the virus from replicating in a lab dish.
The World Health Organization are currently holding series of meeting based on solutions to the issue.
visit the WHO official site for more info
Countries affected with the 2019 novel CoronaVirus (Updated:23 February, 2020)
Here is a listed of countries that is affected by the virus.
Countries with Confirmed Cases- 28 countries outside China
Globally Confirmed Cases- 78 811 confirmed (1017 new)
Confirmed Cases in China -77 042 confirmed (650 new)
Death Cases in China- 2445 deaths (97 new)
Confirmed Cases Outside China- 1769 confirmed (367 new)
Death Cases Outside China- 17 deaths (6 new)
#1. United Kingdom (UK)
#2. China
#3. Japan
#4. Republic of Korea
#5. Singapore
#6. Malaysia
#7. Taiwan
#8. Spain
#9. Vietnam
#10. Germany
#11. US
#12. Nepal
#13. Cambodia
#14. Sri Lanka
#15. Finland
#16. Sweden
#17. Russia
#18. India
#19. Belgium
#20. Philippines
#21. Italy
#22. Australia
#23. Canada
#24. Thailand
#25. France
#26. United Arab Emirates
#27. Lebanon
#28. Israel
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Posted Nov 2, 2024
novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. It first outbreak was on the 31st December, 2019 in Wuhan, China.
