CORONAVIRUS
Coronavirus is a specialized type of viral disease caused by a group of viruses. It is so named
because the viruses have crown-like spikes on their surfaces.
Subdivisions:
There are 4 subdivisions of coronavirus:
Alpha
Beta
Gamma
Delta
Human coronavirus was first discovered in the mid-1960s. Seven coronaviruses can affect
humans:
229E ( alpha coronavirus )
NL63 ( alpha coronavirus )
OC43 ( beta coronavirus )
HKU1 ( beta coronavirus )
MERS-CoV ( beta coronavirus that causes mild eastern respiratory disorder )
SARS-CoV ( beta coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory disorder )
2019 nCoV ( novel coronavirus )
The most disastrous virus that is prevailing these days is novel coronavirus. This virus was
identified by the Chinese authorities as mentioned by the World Health Organization on 09
January 2020. A pneumonia outbreak was reported in Wuhan city, Hubei province China in
December 2019 that proved to have caused by a coronavirus.
This virus generally causes diseases in animals but can also infect humans as in China. It can be
caused by exposure of the human body to infected animals. It is spreaded by the respiratory
droplets generated by coughing and sneezing. It can also be transmitted by touching the hands
of infected persons or by touching the things that infected persons have touched.
SYMPTOMS:
Its common symptoms are:
Cough
Sneezing
Throat infection
Running nose
Upper respiratory infection
Fever
Headaches
Infection may also turn into bronchitis in which there is
Shortness of breath
Cough with mucus
Chest pain
If a coronavirus spreads to the lower respiratory tract it can cause pneumonia in older age
people, in persons with the weak immune system or persons suffering from heart diseases.
TREATMENT:
There is no specific vaccine for the treatment of coronavirus although it can be prevented by
certain means. There are some means to treat cold and fever:
o Get proper rest
o Drink healthy fluids
o Take medicines prescribed by doctors
PREVENTIONS:
To prevent coronavirus you have to take the same measures that are for the prevention for
cold such as:
Wash hands with soap and warm water or sanitizer
Avoid close contact with infected people
Cleaning the places that you continuously touch
Cover your mouth while coughing and sneezing and then throw away that tissue
In China, more than 17000 cases have been reported of infected persons and 351 people have
died of this virus. More than 150 countries have also confirmed cases of coronavirus.
The US has taken major precautionary measures to restrain coronavirus from spreading. World
Health Organization has declared a global health emergency over the virus. Following this US
has ordered the departure maximum of American families residing in China.
Australia, the US, and Singapore have denied the entry of foreign visitors who have been
recently in China. Moreover, Newzeland and Israel have restrained the entry of all the
outlanders traveling from mainland China. Mongolia and Russia have closed their borders with
China. Egypt, Finland, Italy, Indonesia, and the UK have suspended all flights to China.
This virus is causing drastic effects on China and its development. The cure for this disease is
becoming mandatory as time passes.
