Coronaviruses Outbreak: Causes, Modes of Transmission, Prevention/Control Measures

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause not only the common cold but also more serious respiratory illnesses. A novel coronavirus was identified as the source of the illnesses on January 7, with the infection traced to a Wuhan seafood market hat also sold live animals. Now there are reports of the virus in nearly a dozen countries including the US.

Symptoms of Coronaviruses

• Unknown incubation period
• Fever
• Difficult breathing
• Impaired liver and kidney function
• Kidney failure
• Severe cough
• Pneumonia

Countries were novel coronavirus cases or outbreak has gotten to

Number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus:

• China – 644
• Thailand – 3
• Vietnam – 2
• Singapore – 1
• South Korea – 1
• Japan – 1
• Taiwan – 1
• United States – 1

Has this virus, coronavirus gotten to Nigeria yet?

No for now but the rate at which the virus is spreading, if not prevented, it may get to Nigeria. God helping us, it will not get to the country Nigeria and to other countries.

Death rates of Coronaviruses so far

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012 spread to 27 countries, 2,494 confirmed cases – 858 deaths

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) emerged in Southern China in 2002 spread to 30 countries, 8,437 cases – 813 deaths

Means or Modes of Transmission of Coronaviruses

Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people.

Human-to-human transmission of coronaviruses

Coronaviruses are most commonly spread from an infected person by:

• Coughing and sneezing
• Close personal contact such as; touching or shaking hands
• Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands
• Faecal contamination.

Control/Prevention Measures for Coronaviruses

Awareness should be aggressively spread about this new virus known as the Coronavirus. It was recently discovered in China, where it was found to have killed ten people and infected almost 500 people in a very short time. The first case in the US was reported on January 21, 2020, a Chinese returning from holiday in China.

The fact that Nigeria has a whole lot of traffic from China due to trade relations presents a window of opportunity for this virus. Our governments on all levels, local, state, federal should be more proactive. We must not wait until the first cases appear in this dense and overpopulated country, with majority living on top of one another in our urban centres.

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, a person may not know whether they have a Coronavirus or a different cold-causing virus, such as rhinovirus

What to Do About Coronavirus

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

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water or with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Keep your hands and fingers away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. Avoid close contact with people who are infected. The Coronavirus infection is basically treated the same way one would treat a cold:
• Get plenty of rest.
• Drink fluids.
• Take over-the-counter medicine for sore throat and fever (but don’t give aspirin to children or teens younger than 19; use ibuprofen or acetaminophen instead).
• The UK authorities at Heathrow have already set up a clearing zone. The Chinese are returning to Africa after their annual year celebrations. All African countries must also be ready and extra careful… the same measures Lagos state and the other states took during the Ebola crisis must be applied.

Please ALL our Health Professional (Doctors, Nurses, Preventive health workers, etc) should put pressure on our government medical authorities to help save our people by raising an aggressive campaign to save our people.  The Chinese daily mingle a lot in the various markets all over the country, especially in Kano, Abuja and Lagos.