Mario Bahbouh
Corona Family of Viruses
Most of us have been introduced to this family of viruses during microbiology and those of us lucky enough to have pets might have had a short introduction when vaccinating their dog.
These viruses mainly infect animals, ranging from your everyday domestic cat or dog to more exotic animals such as civets, bats and snakes. Notable members of the family include Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) China 2002 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Saudi Arabia 2012, transmitted through bats and camels respectively.
How then can the virus affect human beings? The problem occurs when the virus is able to replicate, through a mutation, in humans after coming in contact with an infected animal or ingesting its meat. In Saudi Arabia for example ingesting an infected camel’s meat and or drinking its milk would result in contracting the virus. The latest member of this family was born in Wuhan, China, SARS-CoV-2 and it causes COVID-19.
Signs and Symptoms
As of 18/02/2020 there are 73,335 confirmed cases with 1873 deaths and 12,887 cases that have recovered, declared it a world wide medical emergency in January. On the final day of 2019, a study that was able to molecularly confirm the presence of a new, novella, corona virus. The study was conducted on 41 patients with a median age of 49, a strikingly young age.
Signs and symptoms included that of a normal common cold and flu.
Of the original 41 patients that were diagnosed molecularly:
98% experienced fever
76% experienced coughing
55% experienced shortness of breath
73% were men
32% had underlining co-morbidities ( suggesting early on that the virus could easily infect healthy persons as well )
and 29% suffered from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
Modes of spread
Airborne
Close contact
Contaminated surfaces
Faeco-oral ( presence of virus in faeces )
Asymptomatic
Treatment & Prevention
Prezcobix a common HIV medication.
Remdesvir, previously used to treat Ebola in vitro
Favilavir
The main aim or mode of treatment was to prevent the replication of virus inside the human body, the same mode of treatment for treating AIDS. This is alongside ventilation support. Washing hands for at least 20 second, wearing masks avoiding public bathrooms are all vital in staying safe. A stronger immune system is key and you can easily do that for free and anywhere by having a good nights sleep.
References
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