(CNN Spanish) – In late 2019, reports of a mysterious disease emerged in China. It was identified as a new type of coronavirus, which is believed to come from a seafood market in Wuhan, the capital of the central province of Hubei in China.
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Since then, tens of thousands of cases have been confirmed in mainland China, with more than 1,000 deaths. Hundreds of cases have also been confirmed in other countries and territories. The authorities are now trying to stop the spread of the virus, restricting the travel of millions of people and introducing strict quarantines.
What is a coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that are common among animals. In rare cases, they are what scientists call zoonotic, which means they can be transmitted from animals to humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC for its acronym in English. The new coronavirus was named by WHO as COVID-19.
The symptoms of a coronavirus
Viruses can make people sick, usually with a mild or moderate upper respiratory disease, similar to a common cold. Coronavirus symptoms include a runny nose, cough, sore throat, possibly headache and perhaps fever, which can last a couple of days.
For those with a weakened immune system, the elderly and the very young, there is a possibility that the virus may cause a lower and much more severe respiratory tract disease, such as pneumonia or bronchitis.
There are a handful of human coronaviruses that are known to be deadly.
The Middle East respiratory syndrome, also known as the MERS virus, was first reported in the Middle East in 2012 and also causes respiratory problems, but those symptoms are much more severe. According to the CDC, between three and four out of 10 patients infected with MERS died.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome, also known as SARS, is the other coronavirus that can cause more severe symptoms. First identified in the province of Guangdong in southern China, according to the WHO, it causes respiratory problems but can also cause diarrhea, fatigue, shortness of breath, respiratory distress and kidney failure.
Depending on the age of the patient, the mortality rate with SARS ranged from 0 to 50% of cases, the elderly being the most vulnerable.
It is currently believed that the new coronavirus is milder than SARS and MERS and it takes longer to develop symptoms. Patients to date have experienced a mild cough for a week followed by shortness of breath, which causes them to visit the hospital, explains Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases and global health at the University of Oxford. So far, about 15% to 20% of cases have become serious and require, for example, hospital ventilation.
How it spreads
Viruses can spread by human contact with animals. Scientists believe that MERS started on camels, according to the WHO. With the SARS, the scientists suspected that the civet cats were to blame.
When it comes to the transmission of viruses from person to person, it often occurs when someone comes into contact with the secretions of an infected person, such as cough drops.
Depending on how virulent the virus is, a cough, a sneeze or a handshake can cause exposure. The virus can also be transmitted by touching something that an infected person has touched and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes. Caregivers can sometimes be exposed when handling a patient’s waste, according to the CDC.
Person-to-person transmission for the new coronavirus has been confirmed, but experts are now trying to understand who transmits it most, who is most at risk and if the transmission occurs mainly in hospitals or in the community. The SARS and the MERS were largely transmitted within the hospitals, Horby said. Some people are also considered “superprovers,” a term that WHO asks not to use.
Who is affected?
MERS, SARS and the new coronavirus appear to cause a more serious disease in older people, although uncertainty persists over the last outbreak. According to Horby, the average age is people 40 years of age or older, he said.
Coronavirus treatment
There is no specific treatment, but investigations are under way. Most of the time, the symptoms will disappear on their own and experts advise seeking early attention. If symptoms feel worse than a standard cold, consult your doctor.
Doctors can relieve symptoms by prescribing medications for pain or fever. The CDC says that a room humidifier or a hot shower can help with a sore throat or cough.
Drink lots of fluids, rest and sleep as much as possible.
How can you prevent it?
There is no vaccine to protect against this family of viruses, at least not yet. Trials for an MERS vaccine are underway. The National Institutes of Health of the USA They are working on a vaccine against the new virus, but it will take months until clinical trials begin and more than a year until it becomes available.
You may be able to reduce your risk of infection by avoiding sick people. Try to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water and for at least 20 seconds.
Awareness is the key. If you are sick and have reason to believe that the new coronavirus may be due to a trip to the region or to contact with someone who has been there, you should inform a health care provider and seek early treatment.
Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, and disinfect objects and surfaces that you touch.
If you travel to China, consider the symptoms and avoid live animal markets, which is where the last outbreak in Wuhan began.
The worldwide contagion map
The number of new cases of coronavirus is changing rapidly. A real-time tracking map shows us how fast.
The map of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Science and Systems Engineering follows cases of coronaviruses worldwide.
The tool collects data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. UU. (CDC), the World Health Organization, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) and the Chinese DXY website, which aggregates data from the National Health Commission of China and the CCDC. The results provide a global picture of the cases of coronavirus in real time.
See the map in real time here
When the World Health Organization declared that the outbreak of the new coronavirus was a public health emergency of international concern, it did so out of fear of the difficulties that smaller or less developed countries have to contain the virus.
Influenza-like respiratory disease is highly contagious and the outbreak has overwhelmed hospitals in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where it was first identified. The Chinese authorities closed entire cities, suspended public transport and closed schools, businesses and factories in an effort to contain it.
Countries near China in Southeast and East Asia have endured the worst part of infections outside the continent, with Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand recording local transmissions.
Some of those nations with coronavirus infections and their neighbors are among the poorest and most disaster-prone countries in the world.
Experts have expressed their fear that the health care infrastructure in these countries may fall apart under the weight of an outbreak, and seriously damage their economies, cause massive displacement and cause other deaths without viruses.
→ Read more
It is still quite what is unknown about the outbreak of the coronavirus and health authorities ask to be very vigilant.
That means that those who travel or travel the world should be aware of the virus, stay away from the most impacted areas and take some of the preventive measures they would use to avoid the flu and other diseases.
→ This is all travelers should know about the outbreak of the coronavirus.
A study published Friday in the medical journal JAMA He found that 41% of the first 138 patients diagnosed in a hospital in Wuhan, China, were reportedly infected in that hospital. Dr. Tom Frieden is the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. and former commissioner of the New York City Department of Health, explains why it is great news. In simple language, says Frieden, that means that almost half of the initial infections in this hospital seem to have spread within the hospital itself. This is called nosocomial transmission.
In the midst of this scenario, where the numbers of cases continue and continue to increase, are the doctors and health professionals who must attend to people with coronaviruses or under evaluation of being able to suffer from it. But how are they cared for and protected? What security measures must hail to avoid contagion? The measures determined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States are very broad.
→ Here we tell you the main measures.
The battle for the cure of the coronavirus entered the field of patent rights
Chinese researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the epicenter of the global coronavirus outbreak, applied for patent rights for an experimental drug developed by Gilead Sciences Inc., a US pharmacist, who claims to have applied for the global patent, including China, in 2016. The discussion with Ricardo Antequera, director of the patent and international protection department of the Antequera Parilli & Rodríguez Study.
A robot in the middle of Times Square would help recognize coronavirus symptoms
Beyond the disease: the economic impact of coronavirus in China
In China, the coronavirus does not only represent a public health crisis, but also makes a dent in trade and workers. David Culver takes us into the uncertain landscape of commercial establishments in Beijing that reflect the economic impact of the outbreak for those seeking to earn a living there.
WHO: Coronavirus vaccine could be ready in 18 months
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director of the World Health Organization, gave a press conference from Geneva where around 300 experts from around the world seek to contain the coronavirus. “Wash your hands, keep your distance from someone who sneezes or coughs, when you sneeze it covers your mouth, we need to invest in curbing this outbreak,” Ghebreyesus said. According to experts there would be the possibility of having a vaccine in 18 months.
With information from Jen Christensen and Meera Senthilingam and Kristie Lu Stout of CNN
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