A STUDY ON CORONAVIRUS

Submitted by TANMOY DHALI

(Department of BBA, Batch : 2017-2020)

University ROLL NO. : 15205017005

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.  

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. 

Generally, older people and those with underlying conditions (such as hypertension, heart disorders, diabetes, liver disorders, and respiratory disease) are expected to be more at risk of developing severe symptoms.Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. 

Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.

On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) was informed of several cases of viral pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan City, China. The outbreak has rapidly evolved, affecting other parts of China and many countries worldwide including in other parts of Asia, Europe, North and South America, Australia and Africa.

On 30 January 2020, WHO declared the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

ERS recommends consulting the WHO's daily situation reports for the latest updates on the number of people who are being treated for COVID-19 and the geographic spread of SARS-CoV-2.