Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some causing illness in people and others that circulate among animals, including camels, cats and bats.The virus is named after its shape which takes the form of a crown with protrusions around it and hence is known as coronavirus.

Early on, many of the patients in the outbreak in Wuhan, China reportedly had some link to a large seafood and animal market, suggesting the virus likely emerged from an animal source. Analysis of the genetic tree of this virus is ongoing to know the specific source of the virus. SARS, another coronavirus that emerged to infect people, came from civit cats, while MERS, another coronavirus that emerged to infect people, came from camels.As of now, 106 people have died because of the outbreak and many more have been infected. Since it’s a new strain, there is no specific vaccine that can treat it. However, according to the WHO, “many of the symptoms can be treated and therefore treatment based on the patient’s clinical condition”.

SYMPTOMS OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS :

Common symptoms at onset of illness were fever,cough and fatigue with less common ones being sputum production , headache and diarrhoea.

The virus causes pneumonia. Those who have fallen ill are reported to suffer coughs, fever and breathing difficulties. In severe cases there can be organ failure. As this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are of no use. The antiviral drugs we have against flu will not work. If people are admitted to hospital, they may get support for their lungs and other organs as well as fluids. Recovery will depend on the strength of their immune system. Many of those who have died are known to have been already in poor health.

Most of the infected patients were men , less than half had underlying diseases including diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular ailments.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES :

There are currently no vaccines available to protect against coronavirus infection.Transmission can be reduced through:

1)Washing hands often with soap and water.

2)Drinking hot water and avoiding touching eyes , nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

3)If mildly sick , keep yourself hydrated , stay at home and rest.

4)Avoid eating or drinking any form of cold drinks , icecreams ,  preserved food , milkshakes , milk sweets older than 48 hours etc…

5)Try to drink hot tea like ginger tea , green tea , pepper milk etc to avoid cold attack.

For any type of disease ‘prevention is better than cure’ so , try to take care of your own health by doing regular exercise to keep your body warm , eating freshly cooked food and avoid eating or doing anything which causes cold and respiratory infections.