They can be spread through contact with respiratory droplets that people cough or sneeze, or by touching surfaces contaminated by the virus. They can also be passed from a mother who is infected during pregnancy to her baby or from a mother to her fetus during labor.
Although COVID-19 is relatively new, it’s not the first coronavirus to infect humans. The SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV families both emerged in China in 2002, and both killed thousands of people.
As a result, global health experts have urged governments to invest in epidemic surveillance and response systems to prevent future pandemics. This includes funding and improving laboratory research to detect outbreaks.
Experts have also recommended that governments provide social protection for the poorest in society, which is a significant factor in boosting transmission and spreading diseases. This could include addressing poverty, and improving access to food and clean water.
Another key consideration is bolstering conservation efforts. These efforts will protect biodiversity, which helps keep diseases from circulating.
Moreover, it will reduce air pollution, which is one of the main drivers of disease emergence. These efforts should include reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving transportation technologies.
It’s also important to support protected areas and avoid habitat destruction, which can increase the risk of animal-borne diseases. This can be done by replanting green corridors between forest patches and protecting wildlife.
This is especially important in the case of endangered species, which are often found in forest regions. PTES and its partners are working with local communities to protect wildlife.
However, it’s important to note that scientists have yet to determine how COVID-19 first started to infect people. The WHO and other experts say that identifying the origins of the pandemic will help improve our understanding of how such viruses move from animals to humans.
International researchers have discovered new genetic data that suggests the coronavirus may have originated from animals, not a lab. These findings are an important step in understanding how the virus first spread to people and can help public health experts prevent future pandemics.
Transmission
The coronavirus causing COVID-19 has been spreading rapidly across the world since it first appeared in China last month. In the meantime, scientists have been trying to trace its origin and develop tests for identifying infections.
Identifying its source is one of the most urgent challenges, and many health experts believe the virus was originally transmitted to humans by bats or pangolins. But while this is a strong possibility, it has not been proven.
In the past, scientists have traced new pathogens to their original animal hosts through DNA or antibodies in samples from those animals. But with so much time passing since the virus emerged, this is now more difficult.
To track down the source of the virus, scientists are using DNA-based forensic tools that can find genetic variations in bacteria and other proteins. But they need to work fast to avoid being unable to do so before the virus spreads.
The World Health Organization has launched a research blueprint that will help it target its resources to the most productive areas of investigation. The research will address questions including:
The answer to this question will help researchers understand how the virus can spread. It may also help them develop more effective vaccines and drug treatments.
There is also concern that the virus could be circulating undetected in countries where the outbreak might not be reported, according to scientists. If that were the case, this could cause problems with the global response to the disease.
This would mean that fewer cases might be picked up and that the epidemic could spread more rapidly and easily in other parts of the world, a threat to weaker health-care systems. That risk could be particularly high in Africa and southeast Asia, where a local outbreak might overwhelm these nations’ health-care systems.
Scientists have been able to grow the coronavirus in labs around the world, but the process is complex and requires extensive expertise. The Doherty Institute’s Virus Identification Laboratory in Melbourne, Australia, is leading the way. It has combined genetic-sequencing and culture expertise to isolate the virus, grow it in a culture dish, and share its genetic sequence with international researchers.
Symptoms
The symptoms of worldcoronaviras are similar to those of other viruses that cause illnesses in humans. They include fever, cough, trouble breathing and gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea and vomiting. In some people, the virus can be more serious and lead to pneumonia or other life-threatening conditions.
Symptoms of the coronavirus vary from person to person and can last for weeks or even months. Some infected people have no symptoms at all. Those who do get sick often recover quickly, but some may become seriously ill or die. This is especially true for older adults and people with certain underlying medical conditions like heart disease or lung disease.
This coronavirus can spread from one person to another through respiratory droplets released by infected people when they cough, sneeze or talk. It can also be spread by touching an infected droplet on a surface and then touching your own nose, mouth or eyes.
The coronavirus is very similar to a virus that causes the common cold and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). It was first identified as the cause of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Since then, it has spread around the world.
Most people with COVID-19 have mild to moderate symptoms and recover without treatment. Some, especially older adults and those with underlying medical conditions like diabetes or chronic lung disease, can get very sick or even die from this disease.
It is hard to know how many people are infected with COVID-19 worldwide and what percentage of them develop more serious illness. But experts are analyzing the data and tracking the disease’s spread to learn more about how the virus works and what causes it to mutate.
To prevent infection, stay home when you feel unwell and practice respiratory etiquette, such as coughing into a flexed elbow. And stay away from large crowds of people, especially if you have a weak immune system or any type of medical condition that makes you more vulnerable to getting sick.
The CDC is collaborating with the WHO and other global health organizations to develop new vaccines, test for the virus and provide treatment for those who are infected. It is also working to improve public health efforts and prepare for future outbreaks of the coronavirus.
Impact
As the global coronavirus pandemic has spread, national economies and businesses have been counting the costs. Lockdown measures to combat the spread of the virus have made a dent in services-reliant economies, with airlines cutting flights and customers cancelling business trips and holidays.
The economic impacts of worldcoronaviras have been difficult to measure, but they are overwhelmingly negative. The most damaging effects have been on travel and tourism, as well as the hospitality sector.
In big, service-reliant economies, the impact has been especially pronounced. It is a shock to the system, and the recovery is likely to be slow.
One of the most difficult aspects of the coronavirus pandemic has been its disproportionate economic impacts on households. In particular, the decline in food security has been a serious affliction for many families.
Similarly, many workers have lost their jobs or found their companies closing down. The virus has exacerbated poverty and inequality, widening the gap between rich and poor.
As a result, people in poorer countries are more likely to suffer from the disease than their wealthier counterparts, and this is true even if there are no economic factors that directly affect their health.
The coronavirus pandemic is also causing a severe impact on the global economy, and this is reflected in reduced GDP growth and carbon emissions. These impacts are largely driven by a decline in travel and transport, as well as the effects of the virus on air quality.
Another impact on the global economy is the fall in stock markets and the value of assets such as pensions and individual savings accounts (ISAs). The drop in shares means that people have less money to invest.
However, it is important to note that some sectors of the economy have been able to recover and grow, while others have suffered. The hospitality industry, for example, has been hit by the decline in tourist traffic, and there are signs that the impact is likely to be more pronounced in the future.
There are a number of lessons to be learnt from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The most important is that pollution and GDP are correlated, and that the effects of the virus will have to be fed through to climate change plans and budgets in affected countries.
