Page 42 - Seniors Today Febuary 2020

Health
Keep this
virus at bay
For seniors, prevention is the key to steering clear of the novel coronavirus. By
Sushmita Bhattrai
The pandemic novel coronavirus nCoV is
an infection that can cause pneumonialike
symptoms by spreading to the lower respiratory
tract.
Senior citizens, particularly those with heart
conditions and weakened immune systems,
need to be extra careful. News of strange,
unheard-of viruses surfacing is not new over
the last few decades. We’ve had our share of
scares in India too with SARS, Nipah, Ebola and
the like.
The outbreak of nCoV originated in China at
the end of December 2019, apparently in the
wholesale market in Wuhan, Hubei province.
Since the outbreak, nCoV has been declared a
public health emergency by the World Health
Organisation. There is news of other nationals
being infected by this virus, numbers are yet to
be confirmed. In India, so far there have been
several cases in Kerala and a few other places.
What is the novel coronavirus?
A coronavirus is a common virus that causes
infection in sinuses, nose or upper throat. Most
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coronaviruses are not dangerous as they mostly
affect animals and do not spread to human
beings. However, there are seven strains of this
virus – Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) being
the seventh, which can affect humans.
The Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is the
cousin of the more popular Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus (outbreak
in Southern China, 2002) and the Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus (outbreak
in Saudi Arabia, 2012). An analysis found that
the genetic sequence of 2019-nCoV is 96%
identical to SARS and MERS that originated
in bats. Hence like other coronaviruses (SARS
& MERS) — Novel coronavirus can only jump
between people who come in close contact with
each other, and is highly contagious.
Symptoms of coronavirus
Symptoms of coronavirus are similar
to catching cold. These symptoms can
further develop into congestion, projecting
pneumonialike symptoms. It is essential to be
on the lookout especially during scares like this.