New Delhi, February 3, 2020: India reported third case of novel coronavirus today. With this, country is gearing up to contain the infections at the earliest. To fight the cause, Government has set up a task force to monitor the situation. Meanwhile those who are haunted by the outbreak can relax as it isn’t very difficult to ditch the infection.
Virus which is causing illness
It is a novel coronavirus, a member of the coronavirus family. It has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals. Many of those who are infected have shopped from Huanan which sells wild animal meat illegally. New and troubling viruses usually originate in animal hosts. Ebola and flu are some of its examples. It has killed around 361 people in China and nearly 17,000 infections have been reported so far.
Can it be called pandemic?
According to experts, it could potentially become a pandemic. Though currently it falls short of WHO’s defined pandemic standards. As per WHO a pandemic is “the worldwide spread of a disease”. So far, coronavirus cases have been confirmed in about 25 countries outside China. It is merely around 12 percent of the total 195 countries.
No need of Panicking
As per the experts the mortality rate of novel coronavirus is just 4%. It is far lower than SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). Though the virus is spreading outside China but countries have successfully quarantined the infected. Often viruses that spread easily tend to have a milder impact. The best way to escape the disease is through prevention. The slightest abnormal deviation in the common cough and cold needs medical attention. This will ensure the containment of the virus.
Symptoms
There are number of symptoms which can indicate the infection from the virus. These involve runny nose, headache, sore throat, cough and fever. It can also lead to respiratory infections like pneumonia and bronchitis. These symptoms can appear in a day or two after contracting infection. Sometimes these remain dormant for around 14 days after the exposure.
Prevention
In order to prevent coronavirus infection one should wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. In case of unavailability of soap, hand sanitizer can be used. Also avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Simultaneously keeping distance with people who are sick is essential. In case of sickness one should avoid going to public places as the illness could spread in others.