CORONA VIRUS: THE THREAT TO HUMANKIND AFTER PLAGUE.
Corona Viruses, the most dangerous threat to
human life, is a large
group of related RNA viruses that cause deadly diseases, mostly in mammals and
birds. In humans, these viruses cause respiratory tract infections that can
range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses include some cases of the common cold
(which is caused also by certain other viruses, predominantly rhinoviruses),
problems in throat and misfunctioning of lungs while more lethal varieties can
cause SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. There are still no vaccines or antiviral drugs
presented till date to prevent or treat the human coronavirus
infections.
Coronaviruses
are enveloped viruses with a single-stranded RNA genome and a nucleocapsid of
helical symmetry. This is wrapped in a tough protein shell which is the cause
why most of the vaccines has failed. They have
characteristic club-shaped spikes that project from their surface, like a
crown, from which the virus got its name.
HISTORY
Coronaviruses
were first discovered in the early 1930s when an acute respiratory infection of
domesticated chickens was seen to be caused by a deadly Infectious Bronchitis
Virus (IBV). Arthur Schalk and M.C. Hawn in 1931,
had founded a new respiratory infection of chickens in North Dakota. The
infection of chicks was mainly characterized by gasping and listlessness.
The
overall chicks' mortality rate was 40–90%. In the 1940s, two more animal
coronaviruses cases we found: Mouse Hepatitis Virus (MHV), and Transmissible Gastroenteritis
Virus (TGEV), were isolated. It was not
realized at the time that these but the same three different viruses were related.
STRUCTURE
Coronaviruses
are complex, large, spherical, particles with certain surface projections. The average diameter of the virus particles
is found to be around 125 nm. The diameter of the envelope is nearly 85 nm and
the spikes are found to be 20 nm long. The envelope of the virus in electron
micrographs appears as a distinct pair of electron-dense shells (shells that
are relatively opaque to the electron beam used to scan the virus particle)which
are very tough to be broken by normal vaccines of common cold, etc.
TRANSMISSION
Infected
carriers are primary cause known to shed viruses into the environment. Coronaviruses mainly target the epithelial
cells of the body. They are transmitted from one host
to another host, by either an aerosol, cough or by the faecal-oral route.
The Human
coronaviruses infect the epithelial cells in the respiratory tract, i.e.
throat, lungs, etc., while animal coronaviruses generally infect epithelial
cells present in the digestive tract.
PRESENT COVID-19 PANDEMIC
The COVID-19
pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic,
is an ongoing pandemic of COVID‑19(short form for Corona Virus Disease 2019), caused by SARS‑CoV‑2. This
outbreak was first identified in Wuhan market, China, in December 2019. The World Health Organization declared this COVID
19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January,
2020, and a pandemic on 11 March of 2020. As of 20 May 2020, more than 4.96 million cases of COVID-19 have
been reported positive in more than 188 countries and territories which
includes main cities like Italy, India, US, London, etc., resulting in more
than 326,000 deaths overall. More than 1.88 million people have recovered from
this deadly disease.
This virus is hugely spread between people who
comes in close contact with each other via small droplets produced either by
coughing, sneezing,
or by talking with an infected person. The droplets usually fall to the ground or onto surfaces rather
than travelling through air over long distances due to their heaviness. Less commonly, people may become infected by
touching a contaminated surface and then touching their face (mainly their
mouth or nose, which are the entrances to interior body). It is most contagious during the first three
days after the onset of different symptoms, although
spread is possible before symptoms appear (incubation
period being 14 days), and from people who do not show symptoms as well.
The common symptoms of COVID-19 include high
fever, problems (itchiness) in throat, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, and
loss of smell too. The time from exposure to onset of symptoms is mostly around
five days but it may take as long from two to fourteen days. There is no known specific vaccine or specific
antiviral treatment yet. But
the primary treatment is symptomatic and supportive therapy.
Some recommended preventive measures include handwashing with soap, keeping ourselves sanitized, covering one's mouth when
coughing, maintaining a minimum distance of 1m from other people, wearing a
mask while going outside, and staying at home rather. Authorities worldwide
have
responded by implementing travel restrictions from
one place to another, complete lockdowns in countries, prevention of gathering
in religious places by keeping them closed, and facility closures. Nowadays,
the whole world is using Hydroxychloroquine as a medicine to reduce
inflammation in the lungs and the activeness of the virus. This medicine was first used
in India to fight against this disease.
IMPACT
This pandemic has resulted in disturbances in the daily
life schedule. The pandemics led to deaths of millions and fear of all. This
fear and preventions had completely disrupted the daily schedule of everyone,
starting from politics, education, business, hospitality, etc. Due to this many
religious and cultural places have been closed to avoid a large gathering which
could increase this contamination and then the graph would show a steep rise.
There is a great stop to the economical problem of many backward countries.
Certain developed countries like Italy, the US also can’t come out of this
outbreak. Major losses have been taken by these countries which have the best
technologies, best hospitality. Now they have lost a huge amount of population along
with economic power.
But this outbreak has its own advantage. Nature is seeming to recover from the huge amount of pollution. The ozone hole over Antarctica is healing itself and moreover, the animals are being seen to be
roaming everywhere as if it is the old green earth. It seems to be that for our
Earth we humans are the virus and the Corona Virus as its medicine. So, we
should also give thought to it. We should not harm our ecosystem. If the bat
had not been eaten, this virus would not have entered the food chain and would
not have done so devastations.
Let's join our hands and help each other by staying
at home, wearing masks whenever we go out, keeping an alcoholic sanitizer with
ourselves, etc. These are certain precautions that can be taken. Since:
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
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