Be Careful of the Novel Coronavirus
After the ashfall due to the Taal which shook the Filipinos this January, comes another cause for concern: the coronavirus. To help raise awareness about this, we will share to you some information about
Be Careful of the Novel Coronavirus
After the ashfall due to the Taal which shook the Filipinos this January, comes another cause for concern: the coronavirus. To help raise awareness about this, we will share to you some information about coronavirus, how to take care of yourself and recent updates as of this writing.
We encourage you to read more and inform yourself about this! Be sure to get information only on trusted websites to prevent misinformation. In this blog post, the information is from the website of the World Health Organization International.
Coronavirus in itself is not new. Basically, coronavirus is a family of viruses that are known to cause illnesses in mammals and birds. They are known to be “zoonotic,” meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. It often causes respiratory illnesses.
You might also remember the previous cases of coronavirus disease outbreaks such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrom (SARS) which was first reported in Asia back in 2002, and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) which was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
What about the 2019-nCoV?
2019-nCoV was the temporary name given to the new virus which stands for Novel Coronavirus. The term “novel” indicates that it is a new strain of the virus that has not been identified in humans previously.
As of January 30, 2020, there are a total of 7,818 confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV across the globe.
Confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV as of Jan 30, 2020 according to the World Health Organization Situation Report
Continuous research and monitoring is done by public health professionals in order to identify preventive measures and cures.
How can I become infected with novel coronavirus?
To become infected with any coronavirus, you have to come in contact with it. This can be through respiratory secretions meaning a cough or a sneeze, having physical contact with a person infected or touching anything that the virus is on and then touching your nose or mouth without washing your hands. This was also the case during previous outbreaks such as MERS and SARS.
What are the symptoms?
Once your body senses that the virus is destroying cells, it will trigger an immune response which results in the following symptoms:
1. Respiratory symptoms
4. Shortness of breath
5. Breathing difficulty
Since these are also common symptoms that we feel especially during flu season, having these doesn’t necessarily mean you have 2019-nCoV. Laboratory tests, blood work and blood tests would need to be done in order to confirm infection.
How can you protect yourself and others from the coronavirus?
A healthy individual with a strong immune system should be able to fight off the virus similar to when we have flu. The problem lies when the person’s immune system is weak due to illnesses or just bad diet and lifestyle habits. This is why most people who are more vulnerable to becoming severely ill are older people or very young children along with those who have underlying illnesses such as 