
New virus in China responsible for mysterious lung disease

In the central Chinese city of Wuhan, dozens of cases have been reported in recent days in which the city's citizens were infected with a previously unknown virus. The WHO has now confirmed that the pathogen is an unknown subtype of the corona virus family.
First of all, infection of a large number of people with lung disease is not unusual.
In Central Europe, a wave of flu regularly rages during the winter months, claiming numerous lives - mostly older people. Nevertheless, what is exciting about this so far small spread is that the virus behind the appearance of the disease is largely unknown.
After its emergence, the WHO carried out a complete genetic sequence of the virus and assigned it to the coronavirus family.
In addition, the virus showed the typical expression, i.e. morphology, of the coronavirus family.
In the most severe cases, such viruses cause MERS and SARS. The respiratory tract is infected, which in the worst case can lead to death, with MERS being the moderately severe form and SERS being the severe to fatal form.
The usual procedure of the WHO is (very simplified) to identify the disease, in the first step whether it is caused by a virus or bacteria. If the disease is assigned to a virus, this can be analyzed in the second step using a gene sequence.
The search for causes becomes sociologically exciting when the source of the virus, i.e. the original trigger, is unknown. The spread of a virus is particularly easy in cities, as transmission can happen quickly and unnoticed at junctions such as subways, train stations or hospitals, i.e. places where crowds of people meet. If it is assumed that the virus could be transmitted from person to person, searching for the so-called patient zero is one way to find out the origin of the virus.
Novel virus
In the case of this novel virus, it is believed that the virus may be transmitted to humans through animals and first appeared in an indoor market in Wuhan.
In the market hall in question, fish, seafood, but also live wild animals are sold for consumption, from which the (still layman) conclusion could be drawn that an initial infection could have taken place here.
In the next step, in the event of outbreaks of such viruses, a warning is issued in the surrounding hospitals or doctor's offices in order to identify other patients who have been infected but have not yet had an outbreak if they go to a doctor when the outbreak occurs .
The mechanisms that the WHO has developed together with its members are so effective that novel viruses and diseases can be quickly identified, isolated and then treated.
However, the work of the WHO authorities can be impaired by a lack of cooperation from states if they fear loss of sales in the areas of tourism or business.
What is problematic in the analysis or search for the origin of this virus is the previous unwillingness to cooperate on the part of the Chinese authorities, who only admitted very late after the virus emerged that it was a new virus, only to claim in the same communication that the virus cannot be transmitted from person to person.
Matthew Frieman from the Maryland School of Medicine, a renowned corona virus specialist, said after the announcement that at such an early stage of discovery it was not possible to know whether the virus could be transmitted between people or not.
It is therefore suspected that the Chinese authorities are trying to downplay the risk. The spread became known when American media reported on the issue following anonymous tips.
Every discovery of new diseases is looming over the great threat of what will happen if viruses or other diseases become immune to existing treatment methods or antibiotics.
In the USA alone, antibiotic resistance caused 35,000 deaths in 2019 and the number is constantly growing.
In summary, the discovery of new diseases is medically and sociologically exciting because it allows researchers and doctors to work like police investigators to find the origin of the disease and shows us how quickly infections and transmissions are possible if hygiene standards are not maintained or, in the worst case, pathogens are immune to previous treatment methods.
On the other hand, the reporting shows that information is also given to the population, even when there is imminent danger, although a clear gap can be observed between Western states and China.
For example, the USA has already issued a travel warning for the affected region, while the Chinese authorities are downplaying the risk. So far, no case of the novel virus has been reported outside of China.
In any case, it also applies to the population in this country that personal hygiene and strengthening the immune system can prevent many diseases, especially in the winter months.
Via
Author: Alexander Herberstein; Virus symbol image from Rost9 / Shutterstock.com
This might also be of interest:
Haven't had a pig - How swine fever continues to have a firm grip on the meat market in China.
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication
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The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual articles (not fact checks) were created using machine help and
were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )
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