health talk:with Dr Johannes Marisa
TODAY I want to take a look at one of the most topical issues of the week — the coronavirus which has wreaked havoc in China for the past month. This strain of the virus is new, having emerged at a seafood market in the Chinese city of Wuhan. It was on December 31, 2019 when the World Health Organisation was alerted to several cases of pneumonia in Wuhan City, Hubei province of China. The virus did not match any other known virus. This raised concerns because when a virus is new, we do not know how it affects people. As I write today, more than 170 people have been confirmed dead with more than 7 700 people being affected across China. The rate at which it is spreading is alarming with at least 17 countries being affected including the United States, Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Finland, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Nepal, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.
What is Coronavirus?
Traditionally, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause illness ranging from a common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East respiratory syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. So on January 7, 2020, the Chinese identified a new stain of coronavirus, which had not been identified before. This strain was temporarily code-named “2019-nCoV” as it gave problems in 2019, on the last day of the year. This virus is highly contagious and causes respiratory infections and has shown evidence of human-to-human transmission. Genomic sequencing has shown that it is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA coronavirus. More men have been affected than women so far, with a ratio of 3:1 during the first few days.
Methods of transmission
Human coronaviruses most commonly spread from an infected person to others through:
lThe air by coughing and sneezing.
lClose personal contact such as touching and shaking hands.
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lTouching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, eyes without washing your hands.
lRarely faecal contamination.
Symptoms
Human coronaviruses are common throughout the world. Some coronaviruses were identified so many years ago and they cause mild to moderate illnesses in people worldwide. The common symptoms of the current coronavirus 2019-Ncov are:
lHigh fever (found in 98% of the new strain).
lCough (found in 76% of new cases).
lShortness of breath (55% of new cases).
lRunny nose
lSore throat
lChest pains
lHeadache
In more severe cases infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure or even death. The mortality rate so far has been less than 3%.
Prevention
Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include:
lRegular hand washing with soap and running water.
lCovering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.
lThoroughly cooking meat and eggs.
lAvoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.
lNo unprotected contact with live wild or farm animals.
lReport any suspected cases to health authorities.
lQuarantine suspected cases.
lGive the necessary treatments. If patient is dehydrated, please give drips as deemed necessary. Those that have difficulty breathing may require oxygen or high care units. Ventilation can be done for serious cases.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis depends on symptoms that are present. History of travelling is very important. History of coming from China especially Wuhan province is important.
lScreening at points of entry especially at airports. Temperature checks can be done on passengers using infrared thermometers. Clinical correlation can be done. Quarantine can be done.
lBlood tests can be done for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). However, since the virus is still new, tests are still being developed. No vaccine is available yet.
Meanwhile, experts in China have developed a rapid nucleic test kit for the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) .
The kit can detect the virus within eight to 15 minutes, according to the city bureau of science and technology.
The kit has high sensitivity and is easy to use and transport. It will be vital for the prevention and control of the epidemic.
Let us be alert about this deadly virus. Avoid visiting Wuhan rovince during the outbreaks. Stay safe and report suspected cases early. Do not hide patients please, it will come to affect you.
lDr Johannes Marisa is a medical practitioner, an educationist and public health expert who can be accessed on [email protected].
