It was not long ago, before the occurrence of Coronavirus, that the World Health Organisation (WHO) experts were consistently predicting that the next pandemic will happen in South Asia or East Asia, citing the unhygienic population boom as one of the main reasons. The prediction was amplified when a deadly mysterious virus caused the death of a Chinese individual and the infection spread among 40-45 people. WHO was on high alert about their prediction, keeping in mind the history of China hiding epidemics and virus outbreaks. SARS or the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak which caused the death of 800 people is not a far hidden fact.
Coronavirus belongs to a large family of viruses that are known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and SARS. Coronaviruses are called so because they look like royal crowns under the electronic microscope and have a high genetic mutation rate and can rapidly develop resistance to new drugs. Coronavirus has caused around 400 deaths and infected around 20,000 people in China to date. The deadly diseases like SARS, MERS, and Coronaviruses are transmitted from animals to humans. The main reason behind its emergence in China is the fact that China is home to half of the world’s livestock ( around 58% ). Since the news of the outbreak of this deadly virus, there has been a lot of misinformation and panic among people regarding its symptoms and causes. The misinformation has also sparked a row of racism. The basic symptoms of this virus are cold, severe fever and pain in the different, not body parts, etc. The experts have also pointed out the basic prevention is to clean hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub and to avoid close contact with anyone with cold and flu-like symptoms. Professor Neil Maniar said that ensuring proper education about the illness, its symptoms, prevention, and providing them with proper resources will be critical in reducing the outbreak. This outbreak of coronavirus has also caused a deep impact on the political and social aspect of the world on which Dr. Shan Mohammed, a Clinical Professor of Health Sciences at Northeastern University said that the world will need to work together to combat an infectious disease that may have a political, social, and economic impact. International response and mediation are necessary to fight coronavirus and to avoid trade and disruption. Adarsh Shahi