Coronavirus

Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between
animals and people.  Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was
transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to
humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not
yet infected humans. 

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever,
cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases,
infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney
failure, and even death. 

Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include
regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing,
thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing
symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.

Source: https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

A coronavirus is
a kind of common virus that causes an infection in your nose, sinuses, or upper throat. Most coronaviruses
are not dangerous.

Some
types of them are serious, though. About 858 people have died from the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), which first appeared in 2012 in Saudi Arabia and
then in other countries in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe. In April
2014, the first American was hospitalized for MERS in Indiana and another case
was reported in Florida. Both had just returned from Saudi Arabia. In May 2015,
there was an outbreak of MERS in Korea, which was the largest outbreak outside
of the Arabian Peninsula. In 2003, 774 people died from a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. As of 2015, there were no
further reports of cases of SARS. MERS and SARS are types of coronaviruses.

But
in early January 2020, the World Health Organization identified a new type:
2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China. By late January, there were 300
confirmed cases in China and a death count that was still in the single digits,
but rising. And despite airport screenings, a traveler had brought the first
case to the U.S.

Often a coronavirus causes upper respiratory infection
symptoms like a stuffy nose, cough, and sore throat. You can treat them with
rest and over-the-counter medication.
The coronavirus can also cause middle ear infections in children.

Coronaviruses
were first identified in the 1960s, but we don’t know where they come from.
They get their name from their crown-like shape. Sometimes, but not often, a
coronavirus can infect both animals and humans.

Most
coronaviruses spread the same way other cold-causing viruses do: through
infected people coughing and sneezing, by touching an infected person’s
hands or face, or by touching things such as doorknobs that infected people
have touched.

Almost
everyone gets a coronavirus infection at least once in their life, most likely
as a young child. In the United States, coronaviruses are more common in the
fall and winter, but anyone can come down with a coronavirus infection at any
time.

The
symptoms of most coronaviruses are similar to any other upper respiratory
infection, including runny
nose, coughing, sore throat, and sometimes a fever. In most
cases, you won’t know whether you have a coronavirus or a different
cold-causing virus, such as rhinovirus.

You
could get lab tests, including nose and throat cultures and blood work, to find out whether your cold
was caused by a coronavirus, but there’s no reason to. The test results
wouldn’t change how you treat your symptoms, which typically go away in a few
days.

But
if a coronavirus infection spreads to the lower respiratory tract (your
windpipe and your lungs), it can cause pneumonia, especially in older people, people
with heart disease, or people with weakened immune
systems.

There
is no vaccine for coronavirus. To help prevent
a coronavirus infection, do the same things you do to avoid the common
cold:

You
treat a coronavirus infection the same way you treat a cold:

A humidifier or steamy shower can also help ease a sore and scratchy throat.

Even
when a coronavirus causes MERS or SARS in other countries, the kind of
coronavirus infection common in the U.S. isn’t a serious threat for an
otherwise healthy adult. If you get sick, treat your symptoms and contact a
doctor if they get worse or don’t go away.

Source: WebMD Medical Reference Reviewed by Brunilda
Nazario, MD 


Collected arranged by: Dr Omer Al Bermawy