The entire world is under severe lockdown as a result of a pandemic. A disease is declared pandemic based on it’s spread and severity. The new Coronavirus has forced all of us to abandon our routine lives and chose to quarantine over everything. Coronavirus is said to cause a disease named “Covid-19”. The name “Covid-19” was recently coined by WHO after the disease was declared as a pandemic.
What happens when you get infected by Coronavirus?
There are several types of Coronaviruses known to mankind. Some of them are known to cause the common cold and other respiratory problems. However, the Coronaviruses that are known to cause Covid-19 primarily affect the lungs and results in severe breathing problems.
Mode of infection :
One can come in contact with coronavirus through droplet nuclei that are transmitted by touch, cough, and sneezes. The medium of transmission of this virus can be doorknobs, fruits, vegetables, money (notes), and anything that is frequently touched by humans. The spread is rapid as the infected person does not show any signs or symptoms of the infection until 14-20 days of initial contraction. Therefore, if you’ve failed to maintain social distancing and discarded the rules of lockdown, there are high chances of you contracting the virus without any knowledge. Furthermore, if you fail to maintain hygiene and do not isolate yourself after a gathering, you may spread the virus to your friends and family merely through a touch.
Pathogenesis : (Development of The Disease)
The virus directly moves to your respiratory tract and enters your lung. After entering the lungs, it goes deeper and reaches the alveoli. Alveoli are primarily responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
The virus infects your healthy cells and begins multiplication.
It multiplies into different copies of its own self and latched its surface proteins on healthy cells. This eventually results in the destruction of healthy cells. The rapid multiplication and destruction of healthy cells lead to infection in the alveoli. This leads to difficulty in breathing and in some cases to the development of ‘Pneumonia’. The infection ends with cough and fever. The recovery and infection also depend on your immunity.
As the alveoli are infected, the lungs fail to carry purified blood to the body. When the organs do not receive purified blood, they fail to function and usually leads to multi-organ failure.
Symptoms :
- Some of the symptoms of Covid-19 include :
- Fever
- A cough
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Chills
- Body aches
- Headache
- A sore throat
- Loss of taste /smell and
- Nausea
Treatment :
The absolute cure for Covid-19 is not yet found. The recovery completely depends on your immunity and the occurrence of symptoms. It can either be mild or severe. Above all, to save yourself from getting severely infected to Covid-19 is by increasing your immunity and having food items that boost your immune system.
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