The whole country is hit by the coronavirus epidemic and has changed the human lifestyle as the epidemic has claimed tens of thousands of human lives. This is very sad. An announcement by the Ministry of Health earlier last year that three Chinese tourists in Johor tested positive for a new coronavirus infection confirmed that the outbreak had reached here. Malaysia now includes 11 other countries detected by the contagious epidemic.

The epidemic came at a time when millions of people around the world, especially in China ahead of the Chinese New Year celebration saw many trips made. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a coronavirus outbreak was detected after the organization was informed that there were several cases of pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei province, China. The WHO in its website said that Chinese authorities on January 7 confirmed that the newly identified Coronavirus could be spread from human to human.

WHAT SYMPTOMS CAN MAKE SOMEONE INFECT CHORONAVIRUS 

According to the WHO, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses from the common cold to more dangerous diseases such as acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers-CoV). "In more severe cases, the infection can lead to pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death," said the health organization. According to Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, none drugs or vaccines for the new virus.

He said the only treatment that can be used for patients who are positive with the virus is through quarantine and treating symptoms such as cough, flu and fever.

However, effort to produce the vaccine is being undertaken by many health agencies around the world. According to the Wall Street Journal, several drug makers in the United States (US) and researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia are among of those working hard to developed this virus vaccine. CNN also reported that the National Institutes of Health, a major US government agency responsible for biomedical health research and public health research, is also producing vaccines. A team of scientists in Texas, New York and China are also working to produce vaccines, CNN said, citing Dr. Peter Hotez, a vaccine scientist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO AVOID THE INFECTION

For your information, the corona virus is a type of virus that attacks the respiratory system of mammals, including humans. This virus will cause some health problems such as fever, flu or shortness of breath.

Here are the symptoms & complications of the new corona virus that you must know:

For those of you who do not know, there are several types of corona virus:

• 229E (alpha coronavirus)
• NL63 (alpha coronavirus)
• OC43 (beta coronvirus)
• HKU1 (beta coronavirus)

So, something needs to be done as a precautionary measure to ensure the individual survives from it. Here are WHO recommendations to help fight this dangerous epidemic:

• Wash your hands regularly with proper technique - follow the 7-step hand washing guidelines issued by WHO
• Follow the ethics of coughing or sneezing while in public - cover your mouth with a tissue or tissue fold
• Avoid contact with individuals who show symptoms of the virus - cough, flu or shortness of breath

In addition, the WHO also asserted that we should not touch or eat wild animals that may be the cause of this corona virus such as snakes, bats and so on.

In the meantime, the use of face masks may also help reduce the risk of this dangerous epidemic infection.

Date of Input: 26/11/2020 | Updated: 27/11/2020 | rahiza