Coronavirus

  • Family: Coronaviridae.
  • It is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can jump from animals to people.
  • Scientist Leo Poon first decoded the recent virus.
  • Coronaviruses were discovered in the 1960.
  • So far, there are 4 known disease-causing coronaviruses, among which the best known are Severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS) corona virus and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, both of which can cause severe respiratory diseases.
  • The disease is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
  • The outbreak began with a pneumonia case in Wuhan city of Hubei province.
  • The first confirmed case of human-to-human transmission outside China was reported from Vietnam.
  • India reported its first confirmed case of novel coronavirus in Thrissur district of Kerala.
PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY 
  • Coronavirus was declared a public health emergency of International concern(PHEIC) by WHO.
  • Under the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR), states have a legal duty to respond promptly to a PHEIC.
  • Since 2009, there have been 6 PHEIC declarations, the first one being of 2009 H1N1 (or swine flu) pandemic. 

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