The coronavirus is making headlines everywhere these days. As the death toll from the virus rise, more and more countries are evacuating their citizens from affected regions of the world; particularly Wuhan in China. New cases are being detected in different places such as the UAE which detected the first coronavirus case recently. How dangerous is this disease? What are the symptoms to look out for and what precautions can you take?
This is a term used to refer to a group of avian and mammalian viruses that cause respiratory infections. These viruses were discovered in the 1960s and as yet there is no known cure or vaccine. One of the biggest outbreaks was the 2012 outbreak that started in Saudi Arabia and claimed hundreds of lives.
The symptoms are akin to common cold and flu: runny nose, fever, coughing, sore throat, breathing difficulties and at times digestive disturbances. In most cases, the virus is self-resolving is not dangerous so long as it is restricted to the upper respiratory tract. If it spreads to the lower respiratory tract, it could result in pneumonia. It can be fatal if it takes the rare form of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) or MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome). People with heart disease or a compromised immune system are particularly at risk.
In 2019, a new strain of the coronavirus was detected. The 2019-nCoV strain was detected in Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei region in China when patients developed pneumonia for no particular reason. Over 6000 confirmed cases have been detected in China so far; with a fatality rate of 2.2% (132 people have died because of the disease).Wuhan city is under lockdown and people of different nationalities are being evacuated from China.
The virus has now infected more people than the 2002-03 outbreak of SARS which had resulted in almost 800 lives lost in the Hong Kong and China region. With Wuhan city and its 50 million people now in quarantine, hundreds of Japanese and American visitors have returned home. The Chinese authorities have extended the new year holidays, stopped schools and banned tour groups going abroad. In Wuhan, people are staying indoors and car travel is banned.
As of now efforts are being coordinated in India to evacuate Indian nationals from the Hubei region of China as soon as the go-ahead is received from the Chinese authorities. Those returning will then be kept in quarantine for two weeks to rule out their being infectious. Right now those returning from China are being screened at airports. The vigil has also been stepped up at the border to prevent the entry of infected individuals. Those showing symptoms have been quarantined in various different cities, however, there have not been any confirmed cases of coronavirus reported in India so far.
Measures to prevent contagion
If you're travelling into India from abroad, don’t ignore any flu-like symptoms. Inform the authorities and medical staff about your travel history. Get yourself tested and in the meantime use a mask to prevent the possibility of infection. The same applies if you’ve come into contact with people recently returned from abroad.
Maintain good personal hygiene, wash hands frequently, observe respiratory etiquette, and seek medical help promptly if you detect symptoms. Usually, this virus is self-correcting and will resolve with rest, over the counter medication and plenty of fluids. It is important to guard against complications because it is the complications rather than the coronavirus itself that can turn fatal.
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