virus Archives - Foreign policy

What COVID-19 Really Means or How the Virus Got Its Name

Published on April 11, 2020April 11, 2020

The recently appeared Coronavirus is responsible for the global pandemic of COVID-19. The WHO gave it a name back in February. COVID-19 is short for “The Illness of Corona Virus 2019”. The reason is that the first case of this uncharacteristic pneumonia was reported on the 31. December 2019 in Wuhan, China. However, there are some doubts that this virus was around even before the start of this pandemic.

At the same time, WHO published the official name of the virus SARS-CoV-2. It was named like that since this virus is a genetic cousin of SARS-CoV who was responsible for the pandemic back in 2003. Yet, that virus was remembered only as a SARS, which is short for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

How WHO Gives a Name to the Illness?

WHO has three rules when it comes to giving a name to a new illness or virus. Now we are going to present them to you:

They need to be short and easily spoken
Can present a combination of a descriptive word (like respiratory) and with the condition (like progressive)
It’s preferred to have everyday language instead of technical
If the pathogen who causes the illness is known, it needs to be included in the name

Naturally, there are rules of what should not be included:

Words that cause fear (like fatal)
Countries of geographical terms
Animals or items
Human names
Terms connected to certain industries or jobs

These rules are not strictly followed sometimes. Therefore, we have terms like Bird Flu (Avian Influenza), Spanish Flu, MRSA infection, Legionella Pneumophila, etc.

What Happens When We Touch Something Infected?

Published on April 6, 2020April 5, 2020

Coronavirus

Self-isolation, social distancing and staying at home are necessary measures in the fight against the coronavirus. However, it’s also necessary for a member of a household to go to the grocery store once in a while, where there’s unavoidable contact with articles that were previously touched by a lot of people.

What if we touch something infected from a store shelf?

Experts claim that even if that happens, your hands are not an entry point for the virus. If we wash our hands afterwards, we are taking appropriate preventive measures. What’s important is that we don’t put a freshly contaminated hand on our mouth, nose or eyes.

What if we eat something infected?

The first hypotheses were that the virus came from infected groceries from a farmers’ market in Wuhan, but later research excluded that possibility. It has been confirmed that it isn’t possible to get the disease that way.

Is Coronavirus Making Monsters out of People?

Published on April 3, 2020April 2, 2020

Coronavirus

People need to control themselves.

The Coronavirus brought something all over the world, something that very hard to control – panic. And with fear that’s spreading everywhere, people started panic buying groceries. The sight of empty shelves is now regular, and toilet paper is nowhere to be found. With the panic buying, there has been real chaos going in the store.

If you are one of those people that are buying things that they don’t need or buying too much stuff and not leaving anything for others – why are you doing that?

Do you ever think about other people? Do you ever think about the staff from the store, and how are they feeling daily? They need to work hard every day, be kind to people, explain to everyone why there isn’t any toilet paper left, even if it’s not their fault. And they are doing that while being scared for their life because of the virus.

Almost everyone on this planet saw the photographs of a crying cashier from an Australien supermarket. It shows the negative side of everything and the reality that cashiers all over the world need to deal with.

The cashier is in tears while being comforted by a woman that was shopping there. And she was crying because another angry customer attacked her.

In Australia, where this photo came from has been an enormous shortage of products in shops and supermarkets, and people are furious because of it. And because of their anger, they are yelling and being rude to cashiers, other workers from the shops, and even other shoppers.

There has even been some physical fight between shoppers because there wasn’t enough toilet paper and disinfectants for everyone.

A lot of people are reacting after they’ve seen this sad photograph. And they are commenting that cashiers and store workers are humans and that they need to work for living in this challenging situation. Most people on social media platforms agree with that and that they need to show respect to them.

A woman shared her story on social media. She commented she went to another store in the uniform from a store where she is working. And that a customer screamed at her because there wasn’t any toilet paper left.

When is the Pandemic of Coronavirus Going to be Over? – Some New Studies are Giving the World Hope

Published on April 1, 2020

Coronavirus

Because of COVID-19, our everyday life has been put on hold, and everyone wants to know when it will all stop. When is the pandemic going to be over, and when is everything going to be safe again?

There have been some new studies on Coronavirus that are saying that the virus is not spreading that effective in regions of the world where the climate is hot, and the humidity is high. The scientists are still doing their research, and nothing is yet certain, but we can see what awaits us in the warmer months ahead of us.

Scientists from the Institute of Technology in Massachusetts analyzed the number of global cases of COVID-19. They found out that 90 % of people that are infected are in the regions where the temperature is between 3 and 17 degrees Celsius and where the humidity is between 4 and 9 grams per square meter.

In countries where the average temperature is higher than 18 degrees Celius and the humidity is higher than 9 grams per square meter, there are only 6 % of the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide.

It means that the spreading of the Coronavirus is less efficient in the warmer regions. Also, humidity plays an important role. The majority of the people infected by the virus are from areas of the planet with lower humidity.

But that also doesn’t mean that people that are living in those countries shouldn’t practice social distancing, or that when summer comes, it won’t be necessary to social distance from others or that it would be okay to go to parties and bars.

For the most significant part of North America and Europe, the effect of the humidity on the spreading of the virus will be minor until June, because then it will be over 9 grams per square meter.

But if there are many infected people before the warmer months and higher humidity, then warmer months are not going to do anything, because those months don’t last long.

Some other scientists are convinced that the summer months won’t help and that the virus won’t stop then.

Doctor William Shafner, a specialist for the infective diseases from the Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, says that he doesn’t believe that the virus will be stopped during the summer months. But that gives some hope to the people.

The spread of influenza viruses and other respiratory viruses slows down and decreases at high temperatures and when the humidity is high. However, it is not yet clear why’s that the case.

When you look at the virus under a microscope, you will see that it is surrounded by a microscopic sphere of moisture called a droplet. And when the humidity is low in the winter, this sphere evaporates, and the virus can then hover in the air for a long time because the gravity will not pull it toward the ground. And that’s one of the explanations why viruses are easily transmitted in the winter period.

Schaffner also explained that in summer, when a person exhales a viral particle, the droplet surrounding the virus does not evaporate, making the virus heavier and more manageable for gravity to pull it down. It means that people are not able to be infected so quickly, like in the winter, because the virus doesn’t hover in the air for as long as it does in the winter.

There is flu in the summer, but the spreading of it is slower than in winter months.

Schaffner also said that we couldn’t count on this fact that warmer months with higher humidity will slow the spread of Coronavirus and that everything will be okay then.

A 16-Year-Old Girl Died from Coronavirus in Paris

Published on March 28, 2020

Uncategorized

A sixteen-year-old girl Julie Alliot passed away from respiratory problems in a Paris hospital.

Her heartbroken sister Manon warns us that “no one is invincible.”

She added: “We must stop believing that his virus only affects the elderly.

“Julie just had a slight cough last week. It got worse last weekend with mucus, and on Monday, we went to see a general practitioner.

“It was there that she was diagnosed with respiratory distress. She had no particular illnesses before this.”

Manon released a photo of her sister because she wanted to warn others about the risk of coronavirus to young people as well.

Julie lived with her family in Longjumeau, which is south of Paris, and was studying at high school.

After she rushed to her local doctor on Tuesday, she was transferred to the Necker Hospital in the French capital.

Manon continued: “Her lungs failed. The doctors did everything they could, but it was impossible to wake her up.”

Manon and her mother came to the hospital after Julie died.

She said: “It was violent. We had time to see her, but we quickly had to think about the future.”

“It’s unbearable,” Julie’s mother, Sabine said.

“She just had a mild cough that she tried to cure with syrup, herbs, inhalations.

“On Saturday, Julie began to be short of breath. She was having a hard time catching her breath. Then come the coughing fits.”

Because of that, the family took her to a GP, who called the emergency services.

“They arrived in full overalls, masks, and gloves,” her mother said. “This was another dimension.”

The girl was rushed to the hospital and placed in intensive care where she said: “my heart hurts.”

After that, she tested positive for coronavirus and needed a tube in her windpipe for breathing.

By then, Sabine and Manon returned home to Paris on the doctors’ advice. Later they received a frantic phone call telling them to come and say goodbye.

Tragically, they didn’t arrive on time, and Julie was dead when they came.

Sabine said: “Her skin was still warm.”

Her sister described Julie as “bright, and much loved” and “loved to dance, sing, and make people laugh.”

Here’s what the Lungs of a Coronavirus Patient Look Like

Published on March 28, 2020

Coronavirus/Health

This virtually-made representation of a patient who was put on a respirator shows us just how huge the damage it inflicts is– which not even the respirator can help.

The patient was transported to the George Washington University to be studied and the doctors quickly analyzed the extent of the infection. In the video, healthy tissue is depicted by the blue color, and infected tissue by the green clouds.

The difference is noticeable to everyone – this shows just how serious the situation actually is. Doctors note that the virus isn’t isolated on just one lung, but that the infection had already spread to both – that’s why the respirator was of little help.

Statistics tell us that around 80% of the infected people will only have mild symptoms and infections, while the rest will have to be hospitalized – around 6% of them in critical condition.

“It all starts with an infection that later develops into a lung inflammation which damages the tissue over time and could have long-lasting consequences”, says Dr. Mortman. “It could even irreversibly prevent patients from breathing with their full lung capacity”.

Coronavirus advances from the upper part to the lower parts of the lungs which get inflamed by pneumonia – that’s when the alveoli get flooded with fluids and pus which makes it difficult to breathe.

The 5 Deadliest Viruses on Earth

Published on March 27, 2020

Health

It seems that almost every historical period has been marked by some kind of virus which was potentially life threatening for the human life. Luckily, thanks to the scientists, the cure would, in most cases, be found before the virus could destroy and take more lives.

When a new virus occurs, it usually happens that it is a complete new and undiscovered notion in the science. So, it can take a lot of time for experts to find the vaccine or appropriate drug. Unfortunately, this is the reason why the mortality rate of some viruses was huge.

If you are interested in learning which the 5 deadliest viruses on Earth are, take a look below.

1. Ebola virus

This virus was first discovered in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the republic of Sudan. This virus is very dangerous because it can be spread very easily. In other words, it spreads through bodily fluids, such as blood, saliva or even tears. When it comes to its fatality rate, it was up to 71% in the Sudan area. The symptoms range from headache to external bleeding. The reason why this virus is so dangerous lays in the fact that there is still no consensus on the exact treatment of vaccine. Nevertheless, it is continuously been researched and the studies which are conducted on this topic will hopefully show some clear conclusions.

2. HIV

This virus is considered to be one of the deadliest due to the fact that has caused 32 million deaths since it was first detected among humans. It first appeared in the 1980s and it took a lot of time for scientists to discover what this virus really is. In fact, in the modern world, the antiviral drugs aimed for the people who are HIV positive have made it possible to live for years with this diagnosis. Nevertheless, it still continues to scare a lot of the patients, especially those who live in countries with low economy rate because drugs are not as available there.

3. Rabies

Another very dangerous virus which can affect humans is called rabies. This virus can be found both within animals and humans. A person can be infected though an animal bite. In 1920s a vaccine was developed and many patients were treated successfully. Even though, with the proper medical treatment, this virus can be cured, it still continues to be a threat, especially in some African countries where the treatment is not as available as it is in the Western world.

4. Hantavirus

Outbreak of this virus occurred in 1993 in Arizona and New Mexico. Due to the fact that it is relatively new, it is still somewhat unexplored. What is known, however, are the symptoms and how it is spread. It is an influenza-like disease and it is can cause respiratory failure. What is important is the fact that the virus cannot be transmitted from human to human. The symptoms include muscle aches, fever, shortness of breath, coughing, etc.

5. Marburg virus

The symptoms of this virus include vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fever, sore throat, etc. It was discovered in 1967, when a group of scientists in Marburg, Germany reached the conclusion that it in fact originated from human exposure to the green monkeys endemic in Uganda. In the modern world, this virus continues to be deadly, since there is still no effective cure or vaccine against it.

The Origin of Coronavirus – REVEALED

Published on March 25, 2020

Coronavirus

As the new coronavirus which causes the disease Covid-19 continues to infect the global population with the number of confirmed cases being over 350.000, there is also a lot of misinformation being spread around as well.

One theory was that the virus was made by scientists in Wuhan, and that it broke out causing a global pandemic. This is highly improbable.

Experts in the field of microbiology have observed the genetic template of the spikes from the surface of the new coronavirus, which the virus uses to attach to the external cell walls of its host and afterwards enter those cells. Scientists have examined the gene sequences responsible for the two key attributes of these spikes: their method of hooking to the host and entering the cell.

The analysis has shown that the part of the spike called “the hook” has developed to target the receptors from human cells called ACE2. The virus proved to be highly capable of hooking up to the human cells that the scientists have concluded the origin of the spike proteins in SARS-KoV-2 to be a result of natural selection, not genetical engineering.

Scientists have researched the connection between SARS-KoV and SARS-KoV-2. Through data gathering, we can see that the computer simulations of SARS-KoV-2 mutations show low capabilities of the virus connecting to the human cells. From there on we can conclude that the new coronavirus isn’t man-made. If a person decided to create a deadly virus, they wouldn’t choose one with such poor abilities to latch onto a host. However, nature proved to be smarter than the scientists, going against all odds and making the virus completely different than anything scientists could’ve made.

Another evidence that suggests SARS-KoV-2 wasn’t made in a lab is its molecular structure, which discerns from other known coronaviruses. It mostly resembles viruses found in bats and crustaceans, which were considered to be low-risk for humans due to their unexplored properties.

How did SARS-KoV-2 become a threat to humanity? There are a few theories. The first one is that we got it directly from an infected animal, as was the case with both SARS and MERS. In this case, the animal was probably either a bat or a crustacean. Another theory is that the virus mutated to its current pathogen structure after the virus was transferred to humans.

If the first theory is true, it could mean bad news because the virus could return causing another outbreak, but if it has to be present in humans to mutate the probability of it happening is significantly lower.