By Raphael Adewoye |
Nations of the world are taking proactive actions towards tackling the newest virus called Coronavirus. This newly discovered coronavirus is said to have its roots in China city of Wuhan.
Quite recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency over the new coronavirus which has claimed the lives of over 1,100 people following its outbreak, with over 45,000 cases reported worldwide, most of them in Hubei province.
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The 34-year-old Chinese doctor who was silenced by police for warning about the coronavirus outbreak has died after contracting the virus.
WHAT REALLY IS THE VIRUS?
Novel corona viruses are a family of viruses that cause illnesses including the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
It was earlier known that the viruses were originally transmitted between animals and people. There are also several known coronaviruses circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans at all. This raises concern as the coronavirus has found way into human society.
With its own name coming from the Latin word corona, translated as crown or halo, under an electron microscope, the image of the virus looks quite exactly like a solar corona.
After it was identified by Chinese authorities earlier this year, it has since been named COVID-19, and had not at any previous time been identified in humans. It has been established that human-to-human transmission is possible and this is likely where caution needs to be exercised.
What then are the symptoms?
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Symptoms include signs of infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, pneumonia, kidney failure and even death in most severe cases.
A large percentage of cases appear to be mild for now and Most of the fatal cases were in older people and people with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
As over 1,100 deaths have been recorded, the number of fatalities from this new coronavirus has surpassed the toll of the SARS virus which broke out between 2002-2003 in China.
What is being done to stop it from spreading?
A whole lot of researchers and Scientists around the world are in speed to develop a vaccine but have warned that one is unlikely to be available for mass distribution before the coming 2021.
Recently, Chinese researchers stated that the virus could have spread from an infected animal species to humans through illegally-trafficked pangolins, which are prized in Asia for food and medicine.
However, Scientists have pointed to either bats or snakes as the real source of the virus.
In the meantime, Chinese authorities have effectively condoned off Wuhan and placed restrictions on travelling to and from several other cities, affecting some 60 million people.
The speedy spread of the new coronavirus in China has necessitated a global alarm, as neighbouring states close their borders, global airlines suspending flights and some governments barring entry to foreign nationals who have recently been to the Asian country.
With all of these doing rounds about coronavirus, one would be joking to claim to be ignorant of the virus and the harm it is capable of causing and as such, strict care must be exercised in preventing spread and contact with the virus.
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