From China to the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed six positive cases of the novel coronavirus, including a human-to-human transmission, of the 121 cases pending in four states as of last Friday.
The novel coronavirus was first detected Dec. 31, 2019, in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China and there have been more than 7,000 confirmed cases as of last Thursday, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) website.
Dr. Emilie Prot, regional medical director for the Texas Department of State Health Services, explained the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is part of a larger family that usually originates from animals.
“So, here we do not have a specific origin or cause that we’ve found for this novel, but there has been suspicion that it arose in a seafood market or an animal market over in Wuhan, China,” Prot said. “So, here the coronavirus is a virus and it infects the respiratory tract, and since it’s respiratory tract, and that mostly means that it’s going to be transferred by respiratory route.”
Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the CDC.
Prot said there are other diseases, such as measles, that are worse than the novel coronavirus.
“The thing … that can make people more afraid, is that we don’t have any treatment for now,” she said. “So, there’s no vaccine compared to some other diseases that are transmitted. … So, I think that’s a fear factor that makes people worry more.”
No cases have been reported in the Rio Grande Valley, according to Prot.
Asked what type of service the Texas Department of State Health Services provides, Prot replied, “So, let’s say there is a pandemic, or we have to do mass vaccination, if we have a vaccine or an outbreak and we need to contain the outbreak, so, we have supplies in order to, one protect our staff, but also to make sure that whoever is identified as a case or an outbreak, that we are able to mitigate the spread of the disease within that community or population. So, we would work with our partners in order to contain the disease.”
Dr. Jose Campo Maldonado, an assistant professor in internal medicine for the UTRGV School of Medicine, recommends for students and the community to be aware of official reports from the CDC and travel restrictions to regions where the novel coronavirus is spreading.
“Right now, the main concern is for people who have been exposed or have traveled,” Maldonado said. “So, it’s not something that we are concerned in terms of having local replication of the virus, right. The symptoms cannot really tell you if you have the symptoms. This could be due to other, many, respiratory viruses that can cause symptoms, right, including the flu.”
He said there needs to be improvements in ways to prevent respiratory viruses to be prepared for the novel coronavirus or other future viruses.
According to the WHO’s website, recommendations to reduce exposure to and transmission of illnesses include hand and respiratory hygiene and safe food practices, including:
–Clean hands by using rubbing alcohol or soap and water;
–Cover mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue when coughing and sneezing;
–Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever and cough, and;
–Consumption of raw animal products should be avoided.
“Right now, from what is reported nationwide, the risk is low,” Prot said. “So, that’s something, you know, we do want people to understand that we are preparing. So, a lot of public health and from the CDC to the Health and Human Services and also at the state and local [level] we are preparing in case there is a pandemic, but right now the risk is low.”
Asked what some misconceptions of the novel coronavirus are, she replied, “I think the misconceptions is that it’s not the end of the world. It’s a novel coronavirus that hasn’t been identified before. So, we do still have to learn a lot from it.”
For more information and updates about the novel coronavirus, visit dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus.
