Corona Virus

Information About the New Coronavirus (2019-ncov)

Turkish Medical Association (TTB) and Turkish Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Association (KLİMİK) shared an information note about the New Coronavirus, which emerged in Wuhan, China and was seen in many people in a short time.

The information note is as follows:

INFORMATION NOTE ABOUT THE NEW CORONAVIRUS (2019-NCOV)

How did the new Coronavirus emerge?

The new Coronavirus first came to the fore on December 29, 2019, when it was announced that lung infection (pneumonia) findings were detected in 4 people working in a market selling seafood and live animals in Wuhan, China, and in many people who visited this market on the same days. As a result of the examination of the samples taken from the patients, on January 7, it was understood that the virus that caused the disease was from the Coronavirus family such as SARS (2002) and MERS (2012), and the virus was named New Coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV).

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause disease among humans and can be detected in some animal species (cats, camels, bats). Coronaviruses circulating among animals can change over time and gain the ability to infect humans, and thus human cases begin to appear. However, these viruses become a threat to humans only after they gain the ability to transmit from person to person. 2019-nCoV is a virus that emerged in people visiting a live animal market in Wuhan city and has also gained the ability to transmit from person to person.

How many people had the disease and where? How many people lost their lives?

The number of confirmed patients is 571 as of 01:00 on January 23. It was reported that 95 of them had a severe course and 17 people died. It is also stated that there are 393 more patients who have not yet been definitively proven. The disease started in Wuhan and spread from there to 25 cities in China, Japan (1 person), Hong Kong (1 person), Taiwan (1 person), Macau (1 person), South Korea. (1 person), Thailand (3 people) and the USA (1 person).

What are the symptoms of the disease?

The disease is characterized by high fever (39 degrees), cough and shortness of breath, which begins suddenly after an incubation period of 2-14 days. Some patients have also been observed to have sore throat and runny nose. The disease generally has a moderate to severe clinical course. The majority of people who become seriously ill and die are people of advanced age (>65y) with underlying diseases (lung diseases, organ failures, cancer, diabetes, immune-suppressing diseases). The disease is relatively mild in young healthy adults.



How is the disease transmitted?

The new Coronavirus is thought to be transmitted through respiratory secretions, like other Coronaviruses. Respiratory secretion droplets containing the virus, which are released from sick people into the environment during coughing, sneezing, laughing and talking, come into contact with the mucosa of healthy people and cause these people to become ill. Close contact (closer than 1 meter) is required for the disease to be transmitted from person to person in this way. To date, it has been shown that 16 healthcare workers have become ill as a result of contact with patients, and people who have never visited the animal market have also developed the disease. These findings indicate that 2019-nCoV can be transmitted from person to person. However, it is still unknown to what extent it is contagious. The most important factor that determines how the epidemic will progress is how easily the virus can be transmitted from person to person and how successfully the necessary precautions will be taken. In light of today's information, it can be said that 2019-nCoV is not transmitted through food (meat, milk, eggs, etc.).

How can we be protected from the disease?

There is no vaccine to protect against the disease. Therefore, the most effective method for protection for now is to avoid contact with the virus (sick people). Since there is no spread of the disease in our country today, there is no need to take any special precautions in society. However, in the winter months, when many viruses that cause respiratory infections (flu, cold viruses, etc.) are circulating among people, attention should be paid to hand hygiene, and unclean hands should not be brought to the eyes, mouth and nose, in order to be protected not only from 2019-nCoV but also from all other respiratory viruses. It is very important.

In order to prevent the spread of the disease from China, the source of the disease, to other parts of the world, the use of public transportation was banned in Wuhan, entrances and exits from the city were stopped, and the use of masks was made mandatory.



Is there a cure for the disease?

To date, there is no drug shown to be effective against Coronaviruses. For this reason, patients are given treatment that will reduce their complaints and support impaired organ functions, if any.is given forward. In our country, people who have personally traveled to China in the last 14 days or who have been in close contact with someone who has traveled to China should definitely consult the nearest health institution if they have symptoms such as fever, cough, or respiratory distress.

TURKISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, TURKISH CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES ASSOCIATION