Health Tips

Wuhan Coronavirus - What you need to know when you are travelling

City transportation has halted in the state of Wuhan following a jump in death toll to 17 this morning from 9 yesterday. Worldwide, there have been 4 reported cases in Thailand and 1 case each in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Macau and the United States. This new coronavirus has been suspected to arise from a local seafood market in Wuhan (animal-human transmission). But the transmission is now human to human transmission since healthcare workers also contracted this new coronavirus. 

How does 2019-nCoV spread?

Human coronaviruses most commonly spread from an infected person to others through

• the air by coughing and sneezing

• close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands

• touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands

• rarely, fecal contamination

Signs and symptoms

The flu-like symptoms like the name suggests is very similar to a common cold which could last for a few days. This includes:

• Runny nose

• Cough

• Sore throat

• With or without headache 

• With or without fever

• General feeling of feeling unwell

It is the severity and complications of these symptoms that could cause lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis which could lead to death. However, it is more common in high-risk people such as those with cardiopulmonary disease, an immunocompromised individual, infants, and older adults.

How can I protect myself?

There are currently no vaccines available to protect you against human coronavirus infection. You may be able to reduce your risk of infection by doing the following

• wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds

• avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands

• avoid close contact with people who are sick

How to protect others?

If you have cold-like symptoms, you can help protect others by doing the following

• stay home while you are sick

• avoid close contact with others

• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands

• clean and disinfect objects and surfaces

Treatment

There are no specific treatments for illnesses caused by human coronaviruses. Most people with common human coronavirus illness will recover on their own. However, you can do some things to relieve your symptoms

• take pain and fever medications (Caution: do not give Aspirin to children)

• use a room humidifier or take a hot shower to help ease a sore throat and cough

If you are mildly sick, you should

• drink plenty of liquids

• stay home and rest

If you are concerned about your symptoms, you should see your healthcare provider.

It is best to avoid travelling to Wuhan at this point in time. If you are travelling to China, be more cautious, protect yourself and know when to see a healthcare provider if you are feeling unwell. 

Download our Doc2Us app from Google Play Store or Apple Store and chat with a doctor now.

References

1. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/death-toll-wuhan-pneumonia-virus-outbreak-china-hubei-reaches-17-12304588?cid=TWTcna&fbclid=IwAR3EnYqBTt-1edzGS3-Y2bNmBUpEoDsxkVD9g2OMhs--LYakOpvLxgzFt1k

2. https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/20/health/what-is-coronavirus-explained/index.html

3. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/about/index.html

Picture credit

1. https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

2. https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/01/20/wuhan-quarantine-virus-china-coverup-government-how-scared-should-you-be-of-the-wuhan-coronavirus/

3. https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2020/01/22/spain-preparing-for-wuhan-coronavirus-as-thousands-of-chinese-set-to-visit-for-their-new-year-holidays/

4. https://mfame.guru/new-china-virus-alert-cases-triple-as-infection-spreads-to-beijing-and-shanghai/

Written by

Dr. Jessamine Chong Sze Lynn