Much is said about the coronavirus, but it is done in a little responsible way since not everything published is true and more than informing. What is achieved is to worry the population excessively.
Suppose you want to know what coronavirus is, what symptoms someone who suffers from it may have, how it is spread, how to prevent it. Its treatment, we invite you to continue reading the following FastlyHealarticle to know all the information you need.
Table of Contents
Symptoms of the coronavirus
The COVID-19, which has been talked about so many days, is known in the scientific world as the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). It can cause some symptoms, which are similar to those of other viral causes of pneumonia, including:
- Fever (more than 38 ° C) during the first days.
- To.
- Chest pain.
- Shortness of breath.
- Fatigue.
- Muscle pains.
- Less frequent symptoms: coughing up secretions, coughing up blood, diarrhea.
- Even less frequent are the upper airway symptoms: sneezing, runny nose, feeling of a stuffy nose, sore throat.
In patients who suffer from other diseases or their defenses are low, the symptoms may worsen.
In a few cases, it can cause severe disease that, if not diagnosed and treated in time, can cause death. However, this also happens in other viral infections to which we are more used: it is said that mortality is only 3%.
Therefore, creating an alarm and spreading information to scare is not correct. Although it is good to know what is happening in the world, unleashing a global panic is not severe or responsible for who has in their hands to inform.
Coronavirus can only be suspected if epidemiological links suggest that the person could have been in contact with someone who is ill (see the section on ways of contagion). In this situation, in addition to isolating the patient, tests are performed to determine if this is the real cause, which is essential to keep track of the infection.
How the coronavirus spreads
The coronavirus affects humans and other mammals, birds, and wild animals. Six different types mildly affect previously healthy people and are transmitted from one to another by droplets from sneezing, breathing, and secretions, but the coronavirus that is currently causing new cases is different, as it is a zoonotic virus. That is, it can be transmitted between animals and humans.
This happens with two other similar types of coronaviruses: those that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome, which are transmitted directly from bats or through intermediaries (such as camels). This new mutation of the coronavirus (2019-nCoV) seems to be shared in the same way since its structure is very similar to them, but the disease it generates is milder in terms of symptoms and complications.
On December 31, 2019, in Wuhan (China), many cases were reported among people linked to wet markets (with marine products). A week later, it was possible to determine that the likely cause was this type of coronavirus. Over the next month, more cases were reported. Today, patients have been diagnosed in other cities in China, in Asian countries, and few were reported in Australia, France, Germany, the United States, and Canada.
Anyone can get sick regarding the reported cases, and the defenses don’t need to be down. The form of contagion is from direct contact with the secretions of people who have a well-marked lung disease (with many symptoms), not just from being around someone with mild symptoms (such as sneezing or a cold). In any case, the study of the transmission of the coronavirus continues to be studied.
The most important thing to avoid the spread of coronavirus is how the medical community is working on it:
- They observed correct management of patients with respiratory symptoms: isolation, use of protection to treat them, and their secretions.
- They are identifying other possible ways of contagion of the coronavirus.
In this way, the disease can be limited to fewer people, which is the most important thing.
Treatment and how to prevent coronavirus
The treatment of coronavirus consists of several objectives: to improve symptoms, try to reduce the effect of the virus on the body, and avoid superinfections, for which the following measures are taken into account, and different drugs are applied according to the case and the evolution of the patient:
- Isolation of the patient.
- Control fever.
- Maintain proper hydration.
- Check that the oxygen supply is adequate.
- It helps the expulsion of secretions.
- Administration of antibiotics (oral, intravenous).
- Administration of oseltamivir (antiviral).
- Corticosteroid placement.
And because the structure of the virus is already known, new possible treatments are being sought for the sick and vaccines to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the population.
This article is merely informative. At FastlyHeal .com, we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any kind of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to How the coronavirus is spread and how to prevent it, we recommend entering our Lung and respiratory tract category.
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.