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Bhubaneswar: With a new strain of Coronavirus, the virus that causes common cold, acute respiratory infections like MERS & SARS, having taken a lethal grip on China and it being further spread to many southeast Asian nations like Malaysia, Thailand, Korea etc, the Union Health Ministry has alerted all states to take preventive action against the spread of the killer virus in India.
Odisha government has also activated its health contingency plan to tackle the spread of this new coronavirus to the State. The vulnerability index for the State is Odisha has direct flights (4 a week) to Malaysia, and the big revelation is Malaysia has reported three confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV (novel Coronavirus).
The Union Government has undertaken the process of thermal screening of passengers arriving from China and Hong Kong at only 7 airports like Delhi, Mumbai,Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin. Bhubaneswar Airport not included in the list as Odisha has no direct flights to China and Hong.
However, as per State Health Secretary, NB Dhal, as confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV detected in Malaysia and air connect exists between Odisha & Malaysia, the State has placed a request for thermal screening at Bhubaneswar airport in today's meeting with Union Health Secretary. Odisha Health Secretary informed that Union Government has accepted State's request and necessary action will soon follow, he added.
What is thermal screening? It's a thermal imager that “sees” temperature by measuring emitted radiation and converting this data to a corresponding image. The greater the radiation being emitted by an object the higher the temperature and conversely, less emission results in lower temperatures. And it's the colour codes that indicate so. Blue colour for normal body temperature and red for severe fever (see the images given below).
2019-nCoV situation in India: As per the update released by Union Health Ministry today, Total of 29,707 passengers from 137 flights screened. 4,359 passengers of 22 flights screened today. No case of coronavirus found till date. The Union Health Ministry has also appealed to people who visited China in the recent past and are currently having symptoms like fever, cough and difficulty in breathing, to report to nearby health centres for consultation. Alert in eastern UP, Bihar and West Bengal, post detection of a single confirmed 2019-nCoV case in Nepal
Following the guidelines, Odisha has also issued a similar appeal today. Anyone from Odisha who visited China in recent past and exhibiting the symptoms of upper tract respiratory infections, need to contact nearest healthcare centres, informed State Health Secretary Dhal.
What is coronavirus? There are 2-types of virus families - Rhino and Corona. While Rhino virus mostly causes common cold in human beings, coronavirus causes common cold and also acute respiratory syndromes like MERS and SARS.
MERS is known as Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome, first detected in Saudi Arabia in 2012. MERS is zoonotic virus, which means it's transmission to human has been from animals (camel). MERS transmission from human to human is not easy, unless one is having a close contact with the infected person.
SARS is known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and first detected in china in 2003. As per WHO, this virus is believed to have spread from Bats to cats and to human. Its transmission between humans is very fast and can take an epidemic form in a very short time span.
As per WHO, origin of 2019-nCoV is yet unknown. But human transmission is faster, especially when having close contact (household, workplace, crowded market and health centre) with infected person.
Since 2019-nCoV is a new strain, nothing known about its life-cycle, transmission mode, incubation period etc, a vaccine is yet to be developed.
Prevention better than Cure: WHO says there is no specific treatment for 2019-nCoV. However, many of the symptoms can be treated and therefore treatment based on the patient’s clinical condition. Moreover, supportive care for infected persons can be highly effective. For which, isolation ICU wards are being opened at SCB, MKCG, VSS and some DHHs.
WHO standard recommendations are to reduce exposure to and transmission by maintaining basic hand and respiratory hygiene, and safe food practices (proper cooking of non-veg foods) and avoiding close contact, when possible, with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as fever with chill, coughing and sneezing.
