Covid 19 Pandemic

Covid 19 is used in short form for the disease caused by coronavirus. It is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus.

This disease can be identify in humans by a mild to moderate respiratory illness. Infected person may recover without requiring special treatment. However some infected person may develop serious respiratory illness and may even die by the disease in any age, in the absence of proper medical treatment.

Older people and those with other disease like diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, or cancer are more likely to develop serious illness because of infection of Covid – 19.

As per WHO warning, anyone can get sick with COVID – 19 and become seriously ill or die at any age.

Naming Of Corona Virus

Disease caused by corona virus is named as Covid – 19 and virus is named as SARS-CoV-2. Virus, and the disease caused by them may have different names. For example, HIV is the name of virus that causes AIDS (Acquire immune deficiency syndrome). In general people often remember the name of disease as it is easy and more popular.

There are different processes, and purposes, for naming viruses and disease.

Now-a-days there is proper classification system is present for naming viruses. However, each newly find virus is named on its genetic structure to facilitate the development of diagnostic tests, vaccines and medicines. There is a committee (ICTV: International committee on Taxonomy of Viruses) which follow certain set of rules for naming virus. 

Disease are named while keeping in mind about its discussion on disease prevention, spread, transmissibility, severity and treatment. After doing all the studies, disease is officially named by WHO in the International classification of Diseases (ICD).

So, ICTV announced “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)” as the name of new virus responsible for corona disease. And WHO announced “COVID-19” as the name of this new disease on 11 feb. 2020.

Prophylaxis

Information about virus spread and disease symptom is very useful in its prevention. Because, once knowing how the virus spread we can easily prevent its spread and can lower the infection number.

In case of corona virus we must follow social distancing and must use mask. It is helpful to every human, individually or in group. If we can prevent the spread of disease by following such rules we can easily lower the number of death because of virus infection.

Covid 19 virus can spread from one infected person to other by mouth or nose in small liquid particles when they cough, sneeze, speak, sing or breathe. These particles may be large respiratory droplets to smaller aerosols.After knowing covid 19 virus spread pathway, we can easily prevent its spread by keeping patient in isolation. So no other healthy person can be infected and can prevent the disease.

Reference: WHO

Gaurav Singh

Editor in Chief Medical Microbiology & RDT Labs - RDT Labs Magazine | BSc Medical Microbiology | MSc Microbiology

Leave a Reply