Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness
ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been
previously identified in humans.
The name "coronavirus" is
derived from the Latin corona,borrowed from Greek ΞΊΞΏΟΟΞ½Ξ· (korαΉnΔ,
“garland, wreath”) ,meaning crown or halo, and refers to the
characteristic appearance of virions (the infective form of the virus)
under electron microscopy with a fringe of large, bulbous surface
projections creating an image reminiscent of a royal crown or of the
solar corona.
Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are
transmitted between animals and people. Detailed investigations found
that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV
from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are
circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.
There are seven known strains of human coronaviruses:
- Human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E)
- Human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43)
- SARS-CoV
- Human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63, New Haven coronavirus)
- Human coronavirus HKU1
- Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), previously known as novel coronavirus 2012 and HCoV-EMC.
- Wuhan coronavirus (2019-nCoV), also known as novel coronavirus 2019/2020 (Wuhan pneumonia).(Please note: 'novel' in this case means newly discovered, or newly originated.).
How to protect yourself from getting infected
WHO’s standard recommendations for the general public to reduce
exposure to and transmission of a range of illnesses are as follows,
which include hand and respiratory hygiene, and safe food practices:
- Frequently clean hands by using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water;
- When coughing and sneezing cover mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue – throw tissue away immediately and wash hands;
- Avoid close contact with anyone who has fever and cough;
- If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing seek medical care early and share previous travel history with your health care provider;
- When visiting live markets in areas currently experiencing cases of novel coronavirus, avoid direct unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals;
- The consumption of raw or undercooked animal products should be avoided. Raw meat, milk or animal organs should be handled with care, to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods, as per good food safety practices.
Practice usual precautions for international travelers
While the cause of the pneumonia seems to be a novel coronavirus,
transmission potential and modes of transmission remain unclear.
Therefore, it would be prudent to reduce the general risk of acute
respiratory infections while travelling in or from affected areas
(currently Wuhan City) by:
- avoiding close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections;
- frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment;
- avoiding close contact with live or dead farm or wild animals;
- travellers with symptoms of acute respiratory infection should practice cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands).