By Marla Jones, Managing Editor • marla@southerntorch.com
USA — The Coronavirus outbreak, which originated last month in China has caused a major panic across the World.
The virus that began in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has been identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness, including pneumonia. The virus is blamed for more than 800 illnesses and 26 deaths. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. On rare occasions, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people such as with the coronavirus called MERS, or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.
A second person in the United States has been diagnosed with the Novel Coronavirus and public health workers are monitoring over 60 patients from 22 states.
While certainly, a diagnosis of the coronavirus would cause panic, it is important to state that there are several different strands of the virus.
Southern Torch reached out to local healthcare providers for a quote regarding the situation and the different types of coronaviruses that they see in our area on a day-to-day basis.
“Coronavirus is a common virus that you see all across the world. The four main types are 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1. They usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold,” stated Sebrina Palmer Butts, Nurse Practioner at Family First Medicine. “We have special swabs at Family First Medicine where we have tested many patients for this. We have had several patients in our clinic test positive for a couple of the common types listed above. Their symptoms included a runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat, fever, or just a general feeling of being unwell. These types can lead to pneumonia or bronchitis.”
“There are three more severe types, one which has recently been discovered in CHINA, they are calling it: 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Patients with the confirmed 2019-nCoV infection have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath” Butts continued. “There are several reports that this type has been confirmed in the USA.”
Dr. Marlon Chad Williamson of DeKalb MD stated that “From China to the US, traveling brings many side effects. The 2019-nCoV virus genetic sequence from the patient in Washington is nearly identical to the sequences posted from China. The available sequences suggest a likely single, recent emergence from a virus related to bat coronaviruses and the SARS coronavirus”.
Doctors agree that the biggest risk that we face in this area is the flu, also called influenza, which is a respiratory infection caused by viruses. The flu is contagious and infects the nose, throat and sometimes the lungs. Each year, millions of Americans are infected. It can cause mild illness but for some, it can be serious or even deadly. People over the age of 65, newborn babies, and people with certain chronic illnesses are more at risk.
“I can't stress enough that avoiding contact with people who are sick and practicing good hand hygiene. At this point in time, no additional precautions are recommended beyond the simple daily precautions that everyone should always take anyway. The real concern for this area is the flu, activity is still high and expected to continue for a number of weeks, I recommend getting vaccinated”, Williamson went on to state.
During this time when there is so much uncertainty regarding these illnesses, there a few things we can all do to protect ourselves:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.