The US Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) describes coronaviruses as ” a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats.” The Coronavirus belongs to viruses known to respiratory illness like common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Most animal viruses or pathogens don’t infect human.

Recently an outbreak of respiratory illness disease caused by Novel (new) Coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China is spreading in human very rapidly “resulting in thousands of confirmed cases in China, including cases outside Wuhan City”.

Novel Coronavirus

The cause of this virus disease in China has been identified as a new virus named 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019nCoV). Because not much is known about this virus national & international public health centers like CDC, WHO and others are currently investigating.

Unlike other Coronaviruses, this new 2019nCoV spreads from person-to-person via respiratory droplets.

Main Symptoms

Main symptoms of this new coronavirus are reported to be “mild to severe and include a fever, cough and shortness of breath which may appear after about 2-wks of exposure”.

How it Spreads

The disease is reported to be spreading worldwide very quickly. In addition to China, the CDC reports (as of Jan 31, 2020) confirmed cases of 2019nCoV virus from other 25 countries including US, Australia, Germany, France, Japan, Russia, UK. The WHO says that a total of 7,818 cases have been confirmed in 18 countries. Almost 99% of those — 7,736 cases — are in China.

Cases in China surged to 9,692 on 30 January. One model estimates that the virus could infect about 39,000 of the 30 million people living in the region of Wuhan.

Nature | Coronavirus latest report (30 Jan 2020)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak “a global health emergency”.

Recommended Measures

The following steps are recommended by WHO & CDC to help prevent its spread:

• Hand washing: Wash hands with soap & water or use hand sanitizers.
• Mouth cover: Cover mouth & nose with paper towels of elbow while sneezing or coughing.
• Clean hands: Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth if hands are not clean.
• Avoid contacts: Avoid contacts with people who are sick.
• Stay home: If such stay home, work place or public areas.
• Keep working area clean: Try to keep your working area surface clean with.

Treatments

There is no reported treatment (or vaccine) for this virus disease. The CDC recommends “people who think they may have been exposed to 2019-nCoV should contact their healthcare provider immediately”.

Additional Resources

• Novel coronavirus: What is it and how can I protect myself? | Mayo Clinic
• 2019 Novel Coronavirus | CDC
• Coronavirus latest: WHO declares global emergency | Nature
• Coronavirus outbreak: what’s next? | Nature

Cover image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay