China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Late imperial epidemiology, part 1
Published in Vivienne Lo, Michael Stanley-Baker, Dolly Yang, Routledge Handbook of Chinese Medicine, 2022
Generally, this perspective means that something in the environment – a configuration of cold or hot air, weather, climate, mists, etc. – caused the outbreak, thus accounting for the fact that many people became sick at the same time with comparable symptoms. In classical Chinese medicine, the external causes were seasonal pathogenic factors such as Cold or Hot seasonal qi (Hanson 2011: 16–17). This is in contrast to a contaminationist perspective that emphasises human-to-human transmission via some kind of pathogen or contaminant. Both perspectives depended on a third predispositionist perspective that explained why some people do not become sick, others do but recover, and still others perish (Rosenberg 1992a: 195–6).
COVID-19 Background
Published in Kenneth Okereafor, Cybersecurity in the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2021
On 21st January, 2020, the WHO confirmed human-to-human transmission of the virus which had spread to South Korea [13], Thailand [14], and Japan [15] and had infected a total of 222 persons including infections among healthcare workers and caregivers who had minimal knowledge of the disease transmission mode at that time.
Diagnostic Approach to Rash and Fever in the Critical Care Unit
Published in Cheston B. Cunha, Burke A. Cunha, Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship in Critical Care Medicine, 2020
Lee S. Engel, Charles V. Sanders, Fred A. Lopez
Monkeypox, an emerging zoonotic disease with increased incidence since the eradication of smallpox, is an orthopoxvirus that was first discovered in an outbreak of monkeys imported from Central Africa to Denmark in 1958 [222]. Possible reasons for the increased monkeypox include cessation of smallpox vaccination in 1980, more frequent exposures to the animal reservoir, increased human-to-human transmission, and advances in diagnostic testing [223]. Smallpox vaccination provides about 85% protection against monkeypox [224]. The first human case was identified in a 9-year-old child in Zaire (1970) [225]. Monkeypox is endemic in Central and West Africa, and imported cases have occurred in many countries, including the United States [223]. Transmission is thought to occur from primary animal to humans by direct contact with infected animal body fluids, bites, and scratches. Secondary human-to-human transmission is thought to occur through large respiratory droplets or contact with body fluid, lesion material, and contaminated surfaces [223].
The vital role of animal, marine, and microbial natural products against COVID-19
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2022
Aljawharah A. Alqathama, Rizwan Ahmad, Ruba B. Alsaedi, Raghad A. Alghamdi, Ekram H. Abkar, Rola H. Alrehaly, Ashraf N. Abdalla
Coronavirus is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus (diameter of 60–140 nm) belonging to the Coronaviridae family which together with Roniviridae and Arteriviridae, belongs to the Nidovirales order. The subfamilies under Coronaviridae are the Torovirinae and Coronavirinae subfamilies; the latter are further subclassified into α-, β-, γ-, and δ-COVs with SARS-CoV-2 belonging to the β-COV group. This RNA virus family is known for its diversity in different animal species as well as its ability to attack different body systems such as the respiratory, hepatic, nervous system, and gastrointestinal systems. The term coronavirus comes from the crown-like (‘corona’ from the Latin) appearance of the club-like projections of spike glycoproteins on the surface envelope of the virus, which can be perceived with an electron microscope (Hassan et al. 2020). SARS-CoV-2 was first discovered at an animal market in China and can be transmitted from animals to humans. Human-to-human transmission is common if the individual is in the contagious phase of the infection, either symptomatically or asymptomatically. Common paths of transmission are via airborne droplets entering the nose, mouth or eyes, as well as contact with surfaces such as skin or faecal matter. Long-range transmission has also been detected from inhalation of airborne dust (Sharma et al. 2020).
The effect of COVID-19 on nasal mucociliary clearance
Published in Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 2022
Ebru Ozer Ozturk, Mehmet Aslan, Tuba Bayındır
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) initially appeared in Wuhan, China. COVID-19 spread quickly to almost all countries on the planet and was declared as a pandemic [1]. The COVID-19 pandemic is still a major public health concern across the world [2]. SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus, and the transmission is thought to be principally through respiratory droplets. Clinical findings and pathological studies reveal that SARS-CoV-2 primarily targets the upper and lower respiratory tracts. Active viral replication in the nasal epithelium at an early phase of infection could be one cause for high SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility [2]. The nose serves as a reservoir for infection as well as a point of transmission. Therefore, most human-to-human transmission happens by respiratory droplets transmitted by an infected person's coughing or sneezing and breathing by a nearby healthy individual [3].
Exercise and well-being during COVID 19 – time to boost your immunity
Published in Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 2020
Chathuranga Ranasinghe, Cemal Ozemek, Ross Arena
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries are facing devastating health, economic, and social challenges. The prevention of human to human transmission, managing the severe disease, mitigating negative effects of isolation seem to be some of the major health challenges. Based on the evidence, a strong host immune response is vital to face the above challenges which could be accomplished by improving general health. The WHO has recommended guidelines to improve general health including physical activity, nutrition, mental health, behavior, and individual coping strategies. This review provides evidence-based support for the COVID-19 physical activity recommendations while highlighting important considerations. One, in particular, is the recommendation to perform the exercise in moderate intensity and duration, as highly demanding doses of exercise have been attributed to immune suppression and susceptibility to URTI in a nutritionally and psychologically deprived environment. When stay home orders are lifted, a stepwise and a gradual process needs to be implemented for the resumption of normal training for athletes and for the wider public who were engaged in recreational exercise training. It is important to note that due to the lack of exercise-based research on COVID 19, activity recommendations will likely evolve in this rapidly changing environment the world now lives in.