Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause diseases of the lungs and gastrointestinal tract. They have been known to science since the second half of the 20th century. Many of them look like mild colds that heal quickly. But among them there are very dangerous species. The SARS coronavirus raged in the Asian and Chinese regions in the 2000s. He was dangerous by the ability to infect the alveoli of the lung tissue, through which oxygen enters the blood. People died from oxygen starvation.
What is the danger of coronavirus?
It turned out that the source of the viral infection was wild animals - the Chinese eat the meat of rodents, civets, which feed on bats - carriers of the virus. The new coronavirus that caused the pandemic is dangerous because of its ability to quickly mutate and adapt to the new environment by choosing a victim. Despite the fact that the immune system of a person who first became infected from an animal was not ready to resist the virus.
Coronavirus infection is also dangerous because of its high degree of infectiousness and a high rate of spread. The situation is complicated by the fact that the Wuhan coronavirus COVID-19 is an unknown strain that scientists did not know before. It, like SARS, affects the lungs and causes a lack of oxygen in the organs. Here are the symptoms:
- heat;
- persistent cough;
- lack of air;
- difficulty breathing;
- dull chest pain;
- headache;
- loss of sense of smell and taste.
The primary symptoms of the disease are nausea, diarrhea; respiratory signs appear later.
How to prevent virus infection?
Prevention is the best cure. It is important to adjust your lifestyle so as to avoid infection, and not to hope: "Maybe it will carry!" First of all, you should give up bad habits, which are deadly to keep. You shouldn't do the following:
- Forget that you need to wash your hands often and thoroughly, not only after the street, but also at home.
- Do not wear masks and gloves in public places and touch your face when touching various surfaces (handrails, doorknobs, etc.), putting yourself at risk of getting sick.
- Sneeze and cough without covering your nose with a handkerchief (an alternative is sneezing into the elbow).
- Biting your nails.
- Go to work with a cold.
- Always use a smartphone whose screen is far from sterile.
- Get close and do not keep your distance in lines.
A sedentary lifestyle reduces the metabolic rate, which reduces immunity. Physical activity - various sports, fitness, yoga, even cleaning the house - will strengthen the body and help fight infection, and if infected, get sick in a mild form. It is also important to avoid stress and get enough sleep.
What if a person is sick?
Chinese coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 difficult to identify immediately. At the initial stage, he is nothing no different from a common cold … If you have symptoms, you should contact the clinic only if the sick person came from a region where an outbreak of COVID-19 was observed, and if he returned from a country with a high degree of infection (USA, Brazil, England, etc.), call an ambulance …
If a coronavirus infection is suspected, patients are tested and undergo laboratory tests. If the disease is not confirmed, they are treated for ARVI and stay at home. When treating at home, an infected person should be in a separate room, wear a protective mask and gloves against coronavirus in order to avoid infecting household members. It should also be borne in mind that the virus "hangs" in the air for about 3 hours.
What are the consequences for patients who have had a viral infection?
Scientists have come to the conclusion that the inability of the immune system to cope with the coronavirus can greatly harm the human body. Important organs come under attack:
- in the lungs, the alveoli are destroyed, which deliver oxygen to the blood, scars form on the lung tissue;
- the heart muscle becomes inflamed, arrhythmia appears;
- due to problems with blood clotting, thrombosis occurs, fraught with a stroke;
- renal failure develops, often leading to death.
What to expect in the future?
Will the exit from quarantine affect the increase in the number of victims of the coronavirus COVID-19? Statistics will show. In the meantime, the viral epidemic continues to spread: tens of thousands are infected every day. Presumably, there will be a second outbreak of the pandemic. It is important for scientists to know whether the immunity of patients who have recovered from the infection is able to withstand a new wave.
Colossal attempts are being made to develop a vaccine in China, Russia, Europe, and the United States. Chinese virologists prove that antibodies to COVID-19 disappear after recovery, that is, immunity against a new infection is not developed.
American biotechnologists are looking for a combination of antibodies from blood plasma that can effectively neutralize the infection. This "cocktail" is tested on doctors and volunteers.
There is no hope for a vaccine; its development will take months and even years. Elementary hygiene will help to resist infection - washing hands, disinfecting premises, which helped to defeat SARS in due time.