Official recommendations to prevent Coronavirus contagion

Coronavirus is expected to spread worldwide in a short period of time. World Health Organization (WHO) has provided a few advices to prevent contagion between humans.

The new Coronavirus (temporarily named 2019-nCoV) is a virus from the same family as common cold, SARS, and MERS. 2019-nCoV is associated with respiratory illness from uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection to more aggressive syndromes like severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome or septic shock. In this link, you can find information about symptoms and clinical management: [https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/clinical-management-of-novel-cov.pdf?sfvrsn=bc7da517_2&download=true]

WHO offers in its website a daily situation report regarding confirmed cases, countries affected and number of deaths. By 26 January 2020 there were 2,014 confirmed cases and 56 deaths related to 2019-nCoV.[1]

Prevention

Novel Coronavirus transmission is still uncertain, but it is suspected that person-to-person spread is happening mainly due to close contact with an infected person, specially by respiratory droplets when he/she coughs or sneezes. Furthermore, contagion due to undercooked egg and meat consumption is a possibility and should be avoided. In order to prevent contagion WHO has published few advices, some of them similar to influenza prevention measures:

Media: Reduce your risk of Coronavirus infection. World Health Organization; [2020]. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

Author: Sandra Rueda Charro, MD

References

[1] https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports/

Online News/Article

World Health Organization (2020). Clinical management of severe acute respiratory infection when Novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection is suspected: Interim Guidance. [Online]. Available at : https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/clinical-management-of-novel-cov.pdf?sfvrsn=bc7da517_2&download=true

Websites

World Health Organization (2020). Novel Coronavirus 2019.  [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019