Don’t panic, but keep check on respiratory problems
With many Sri Lankans travelling back and forth from Saudi Arabia where there has been an outbreak of the coronavirus and others making plans to go on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, a Consultant Virologist offers some advice
There is no cause for fear or panic, but take basic precautions to keep at bay respiratory infections, urged a Virologist, in the light of speculation over the coronavirus doing the rounds in the Middle East with a thrust in Saudi Arabia. The assurances by Consultant Virologist Dr. Jude Jayamaha of the National Influenza Centre, Medical Research Institute, Colombo, comes in the backdrop of many Sri Lankans travelling back and forth from Saudi Arabia and others making plans to go on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
Placing the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus (MERS-CoV) under the microscope, Dr. Jayamaha explains that this strain of the coronavirus has not been previously identified in humans. The cousins of the MERS-CoV range from the harmless causing the common cold to the deadly which left in its wake the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pandemic in 2003, MediScene learns.
From April 2012, 82 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection and 45 deaths due to MERS-CoV have been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since April last year (2012) to now, Saudi Arabia has had the largest number of cases amounting to 66 with some other countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe having just one, two or three. The disease has affected men and women a majority over 40 years, with the average age being 51 years.
Human-to-human transmission of the virus does not seem to be high, says Dr. Jayamaha, pointing out that sustainability is not as much as other human infectious diseases.
“The mode of transmission or how the infection spreads is unknown as of yet. Although respiratory infections are spread through droplets and close contact, in the case of MERS-CoV, it has not been established yet. The virus is thought to be of animal origin but so far it has not been identified in any animal species, while the specific types of exposures that cause infection are also unknown,” he says.
Referring to Coronaviruses, named for the crown-like spikes on their surface, he says there are three main sub-groupings — alpha, beta and gamma and a fourth provisionally-assigned new group called delta. Human Coronaviruses usually cause only mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses. First identified in the mid-1960s, the five Coronaviruses that can infect people are: alpha coronaviruses 229E and NL63 and beta coronaviruses OC43, HKU1 and SARS-CoV.
While Coronaviruses can also infect animals, they usually affect only one species or a small number of closely related species. The exception seems to be SARS-CoV which can infect both people and animals, including monkeys, Himalayan palm civets, raccoon dogs, cats, dogs and rodents, he points out.
Reiterating that people should not panic in the face of the MERS-CoV, Dr. Jayamaha assures that Sri Lanka has a good surveillance and notification system for pneumonia coordinated by the Health Ministry’s Epidemiology Unit which would alert the authorities to severe acute respiratory infections and unusual disease patterns.
Watch out for symptoms
Fever, cough and breathing difficulties are the most common symptoms of MERS-CoV, MediScene learns, while some patients who may have immunity problems could also have atypical symptoms such as diarrhoea. The infection presents as pneumonia, but in some cases has also caused kidney failure, says Dr. Jayamaha.
A few tips from the WHO
- Avoid close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections.
- Wash your hands with soap and water frequently, particularly after direct contact with anyone who is ill.
- Be conscious of food safety and hygiene – avoid undercooked meats and raw fruits and vegetables unless they have been washed well and peeled. Don’t drink unboilt water.
- Avoid close contact with live farm or wild animals.
- If you have a severe cough or cold, practise ‘cough etiquette’. Avoid coughing or sneezing into other people’s faces. Coughing or sneezing into your sleeve or covering your nose and mouth with tissue and disposing of the tissue immediately would prevent the spread of infection as also the washing of hands frequently.
- If you are ill try not to travel but rest until the symptoms clear.
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