it's pandemic 2 in real life D:
inb4madagascarjoke
H1N1 (swine flu omg)
"the risk of sustained person-to-person transmission appears to be very low."
apparently it's been killing quite a few of the people who have it.
Introduction to Coronaviruses:“Coronaviruses are species in the genera of virus belonging to the subfamily Coronavirinae in the family Coronaviridae”. Coronaviruses spread from one species to another, and are usually limited to one species at a time. For example, they can be in bats, then bounce to humans then bounce back. Sometimes though, they adapt to a certain species and never bounce to a different one. Coronaviruses have the potential to cause severe transmissible human disease, and this has been seen before in 2003, when the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) broke out. SARS had quickly spread, and in just five months, it had caused 8,098 illnesses and 774 deaths in 26 countries around the world. SARS has a case-fatality rate of about 10%, but this new coronavirus had nine cases to date, and five of them have died. In this article, scientists describe this coronavirus, which is so new that it hasn’t yet been officially named.Case History: On September 14, 2012, the United Kingdom Health Protection Agency (HPA) found out about a case of this new coronavirus from a 49 year old man who had a history of travel to Saudi Arabia. In August 2012, he developed an undiagnosed respiratory illness while he was visiting Saudi Arabia but it fully resolved. On September 3, 2012, he visited a physician in Qatar because of cough, myalgia, and arthralgia, and was prescribed oral antibiotics. After five days, he was admitted to a Qatari hospital with fever at 101 degrees Fahrenheit. After 48 hours, he required intubation and ventilation and was transferred by air ambulance to London. Through September 11 through 20, despite hospitalization, his condition deteriorated. He was transported to a special intensive care unit and on September 20, extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a technique performed outside of the body which provides both cardiac and respiratory support oxygen to patients whose heart and lungs are so severely diseased or damaged that they can no longer serve their function, was started. As of October 2, he is stable but fully dependent on ECMO. SARS, this new virus, and why public health officials are extremely fearful of it: SARS had originated in China, and had spread unbelievably quickly. High population rates may have helped the spread of SARS, as China has a very high population. Similarly, Saudi Arabia is home to Mecca, which is home to the Hajj, or the pilgrimage and is the heart of Islam. Every year over 2 million people visit Mecca and are, as a result, likely to become carriers of this new coronavirus. Even worse, most of the people that will catch it will leave Saudi Arabia and return to their homes, all over the world, which can make this coronavirus, which so far is deadlier than SARS, have access to a large amount of human beings. So far the Saudi Arabian government has expressed concern over the spread of viruses during the Hajj pilgrimage, and requires vaccinations for everyone who wishes to obtain a Visa and get into the country. Conclusion: Coronaviruses are really scary to think about. They easily transmit from person to person, and can quickly kill them off as well. The man described in this article is the second to get this disease, and so far seven more have acquired it as of December 13, 2012. Should masks be worn in populated areas to prevent increases of this disease? Only time will tell how public health officials will deal with this new and deadly coronavirus.
