MEDICAL SAFETY ALERT

Coronaviruses (CoV)

Date: Jan 2020

Subject : On 31 December 2019, the WHO China Country Office was informed of cases of pneumonia of unknown
etiology (unknown cause) detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. A novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was
identified as the causative virus by Chinese authorities on 7 January.
20 January 2020 Reports say this infection has spread from Wuhan to major cities and abroad on Wednesday the
WHO will consider declaring an international public health emergency over coronavirus ,as it did with swine flu and
Ebola.
Last Update: SEGC inform that related the medical emergency escalated by WHO from China , Main actions has been
taken by SEGC: no travelers from china to Dubai and health check up to the potential exposed people

World Health Organization definition of Coronaviruses (CoV)

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe
diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-
CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.
Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Detailed investigations
found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans.
Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.

Symptoms and Recommendations

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing
difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney
failure and even death. If people are admitted to hospital, they may get breathing support as well as fluids.
Recovery will depend on the strength of their immune system. Those who have died are known to have been
already in poor health.

Precautions to be Used
Written information must be placed on the room door indicating infection prevention and control precautions.
A record should be kept of all staff in contact with a possible case, and travelers register in place and this record
should be accessible to occupational health should the need arise.
Increase the personal .
Hand Hygenic : This is essential before and after all patient contact, Use soap and water to wash hands or an
alcohol hand rub if hands are visibly clean.
Rings (other than a plain smooth band), wrist watches and wrist jewellery must not be worn.
It is recommended to avoid travel from/to potential risk areas and in the case inform the medical authorities
immediately in the case of symptoms.