The new Corona virus … its source and its symptoms

Corona viruses are a wide variety of viruses causing morbidity in humans and in animals. Corona viruses can cause serious side effects between colds and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The new Corona virus, discovered for the first time in April 2012, is a new virus never seen before in humans. In most cases, the virus causes serious illness, resulting in death in about half of all cases. This new Corona virus is now known as Corona virus causing MERS-CoV. This designation was called the Corona Virus Study Group of the International Commission on Virus Classification in May 2013.

Source of Corona virus
Dr. Magdy Hassan El-Toukhi, Public Health and Infectious Disease Consultant, Board Member of the Saudi Association for Environmental Sciences and General Supervisor of the Department of Health and Disease Environment of the Authority for the Environment and the Environment, is the first book in Arabic on SARS and Corona. Corona virus and a virus identified by bats in South Africa. But there is no conclusive evidence that bats are the source of the virus and it is likely that it has passed from bats to camels for a long time, then becoming the main reservoir that hosts the virus and a human source. infection, and knows perfectly the role of beauty in transmitting the virus. Transmission methods.
Although most human cases of SARS are caused by human transmission, the virus is not easily transmitted from one person to the next, except in close contact, for example by caring for the patient. protection or without complacency by taking precautionary measures for the personal protection of health personnel, Or not to wash hands properly with patients.

"Corona" in Saudi Arabia and its surroundings
He added: Al-Tukhhi said that SARS, caused by the Corona virus, had been detected for the first time in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and that other countries had reported similar cases in the Middle East: Jordan , Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Yemen; France, Germany, Greece, Italy, United Kingdom; Africa: Tunisia, Egypt; Asia: China, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, the Philippines, the United States and the Americas.
In immediate response of the Kingdom to the outbreak of a pandemic in a health facility in Jeddah, the Ministry of Health has activated the National Infectious Diseases Commission and has dispatched an emergency team in charge of implement the IHR procedures for 2012 and implement multiple interventions, Limit the admission of patients to the relevant hospital, inform and educate health personnel and adopt active sanitation measures and cleaning.
According to official statistics of the Saudi Ministry of Health, the total number of cases registered since the beginning of the epidemic from 2012 to September 2011 was 1622 cases, to which were added 64 cases without symptoms, 6 cases under treatment, 1020 cases cured and 695 cases. .
The total number of cases recorded worldwide in 27 countries for the same period (2040) was confirmed in the laboratory, of which 82% were recorded in the Kingdom and 710 deaths related to the virus. (According to the official statistics of the World Health Organization)
Intensive infection control measures have reduced the transmission of Corona virus to health care workers. The persistence of cases indicates the lack of effective measures for surveillance and detection of new cases.
The joint team identified the epidemiological characteristics of the infection, including geographic scope, methods of infection, possible transmission of HIV from person to person, methods of prevention and Isolation and treatment instructions for patients presenting to health personnel, especially those on the front line. And medical centers.

The virus has its characteristics
Dr. Toukhi that the name of the family of this virus derives from the word Corona which means the crown, which affects humans, animals and birds, and is characterized by Enrubed Enveloped single strand and the diameter of the virus from 80 to 130 nanometers and divided and multiplied in the cell-infected cytoplasm and reproductive cycle of about 10 to 12 H.
These human coronary viruses cause respiratory diseases similar to colds, which were first discovered, then human coronary viruses, corona enteric viruses. Other coronary viruses infect chickens with infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), hepatitis virus in mice, swine flu virus in pigs and other viruses affecting dogs and turkeys, cattle and horses, cats and rats. The source of the virus is an unknown wild animal that can move between humans.
The similarity was significant between early onset and early onset of the disease with several types of virulent strains of influenza, despite the difference in spread and transmission. Scientists and those interested in this regard hope that SARS transmission is person-to-person and that internal containment of the disease weakens and ends the lifecycle of person-to-person transmission. But that was not the reality of the behavior of this new virus and it remained until mid-April 2017 when the discovery of the real cause of SARS, a type of coronary heart virus associated with SARS coronavirus – HCoV.

Transmission mechanism
> First: the transition from non-humans (animals) to humans. The method is not completely understood. But beauty will probably be the main repository of the virus, animal source of human infection. Virus strains of human races have been isolated from camels in several countries, including Egypt, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Second, human transmission. This requires close contact, such as providing care to the patient without protection, or complacency in taking personal protective precautions. Many cases have appeared in health facilities, where interpersonal transmission seems more feasible, especially when measures to prevent and control infections are inadequate. The virus seems to circulate throughout the Arabian Peninsula, especially in Saudi Arabia. Most of these infections are thought to have occurred in the Middle East and then exported out of the region.
> The mechanism of infection. The infection occurs when the virus attacks the ciliated epithelial cells of the nose and pharynx, causing internal replication of these cells, resulting in lesions of the epithelial cells, followed by the appearance of symptoms similar to those of the influenza. The virus can be detected in the blood and the urine remains in the stool for two months, and the virus remains active for 2 to 3 weeks in the respiratory tract.

Epidemiology of the disease
Said Dr. Tukhi: When we talk about the disease in general, the possibility of infection among the general population is likely to occur and anywhere in the world. Eighty percent of adults had anti-virus antibodies when they used the ELISA method.
The virus is present in the spleen and in infected or nasal secretions. The most common way of transmitting it is therefore to vaporize it, whether it is propagated in the atmosphere from small or large atoms, when the person coughs, sneezes or speaks. It can also be transmitted through the use of contaminated objects such as door handles, telephones and elevator buttons or shaking hands with the person who does not wash their hands and transmitting the virus from hands contaminated with excrement. The spread of the disease increases in the late fall and winter, as well as in the early spring.
– symptoms. The incubation period is 2 to 7 days and can go up to 14 days, then the disease begins to appear. Symptoms range from the lack of appearance (absence of symptoms) to moderate respiratory symptoms, to severe acute respiratory illness and death. Fever, cough and shortness of breath are typical symptoms of the infection. Pneumonia is common but does not always occur. Gastrointestinal symptoms have also been reported, including diarrhea affecting approximately 25% of cases. The severity of the cases can lead to respiratory failure, which requires artificial respiration and support in the central care unit. The virus appears to cause serious illness in the elderly, people with weakened immune systems and people with chronic diseases such as cancer, chronic lung diseases, diabetes and pregnant women.
Respiratory radiographs may in some cases show infiltrates, including uneven consolidation areas, concentrated in the peripheral and inferior parts of the lung. In acute cases of the second week of infection, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the adult can cause a syndrome of hypoxia in the body, which can lead to failure of many organs And the dead.
Diagnostic. The following measures are taken:
– Laboratory examination of a sample of sputum or sputum, or a scan of the mouth and nose.
– Blood samples for serological screening and repeated after 3 weeks.
– blood, urine and excrement samples to monitor the presence of the virus in them.
– Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests are the most widely used and the most accurate in the diagnosis.
– Immunoassay ELISA test to detect antibodies.
– Immunofluorescence samples.

Prevention
Dr. Majdi Toukhi, that there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment, and that the available treatment is symptomatic treatment that depends on the clinical situation of the patient. Prevention remains the basis and is achieved through:
– Observe public hygiene measures when visiting camel sheds and other animals, including washing your hands regularly before touching and touching animals and avoiding contact with sick animals.
– Consumption of camel meat and milk after cooking or pasteurization or other heat treatments.
– Commitment of health personnel to infection prevention and control measures to prevent the potential spread of the virus. HIV transmission in health care settings in several countries, including the transition from patients to health care providers to patients in health care facilities before the diagnosis of Corona virus, may not always be possible be identified at an early stage or without screening. Because the symptoms and other clinical features of the infection are not specifically limited.

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Preventive measures for possible pathological conditions

Preventive measures include:
– the identification of suspected and potential cases, the use of face masks by health workers, the protection of the eyes, the washing of hands before and after any contact with a patient, after activities likely to provoke contamination and after the removal and careful handling of gloves and other contaminated equipment, as they could spread the infection; Disinfectant solutions are widely available at the appropriate concentrations.
– Isolation of potential cases in premises with special specifications and training of staff in the rules of infection control and the use of personal protective equipment.
– Control at the level of the patient and his environment joint and direct.
– Epidemiological, clinical and public education measures on the risk of infection.
– International action and displacement, and global surveillance of confirmed, potential and clinically confirmed confirmed cases of reduced international spread of infection through the revision of the International Health Regulations.