AN ASIGNMENT

ON

COMMUNICABLE DISEASES I (CHO 215)

WRITTEN BY

EZE CYNTHIA

FCAI/HND/HRE/2019/2020/____

SUBMITTED TO

DR. NWOSU E.C

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE

AWARD OF HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN HOME AND RURAL
ECONOMICS, FEDERAL COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE ISHIAGU,
EBONYI STATE.

NOVEMBER, 2020

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Introduction

Coronavirus a type of common virus that infects humans, typically leading to an

upper respiratory infection (URI.) Seven different types of human coronavirus
have been identified. Most people will be infected with at least one type of
coronavirus in their lifetime. The viruses are spread through the air by coughing
and sneezing, close personal contact, touching an object or surface contaminated
with the virus and rarely, by fecal contamination. The illness caused by most
coronaviruses usually lasts a short time and is characterized by runny nose, sore
throat, feeling unwell, cough, and fever.

Examples of human coronaviruses that have been reported to cause severe

symptoms include the MERS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS), SARS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes
severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and the new 2019 Novel Coronavirus
(2019-nCoV) outbreak that began in Wuhan, China.

In December 2019, a pneumonia outbreak was reported in Wuhan, China. On 31

December 2019, the outbreak was traced to a novel strain of coronavirus, which
was given the interim name 2019-nCoV by the World Health Organization
(WHO), later renamed SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on
Taxonomy of Viruses.

As of 22 November 2020, there have been at least 1,381,822 confirmed deaths and
more than 58,228,713 confirmed cases in the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wuhan
strain has been identified as a new strain of Betacoronavirus from group 2B with
approximately 70% genetic similarity to the SARS-CoV. The virus has a 96%
similarity to a bat coronavirus, so it is widely suspected to originate from bats as

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well. The pandemic has resulted in travel restrictions and nationwide lockdowns in
many countries.

Causative Organism

Researchers aren’t sure what caused it. There’s more than one type of coronavirus.
They’re common in people and in animals including bats, camels, cats, and cattle.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is similar to MERS and SARS.
They all came from bats.

Coronavirus Transmission

SARS-CoV-2, the virus, mainly spreads from person to person. Most of the time, it
spreads when a sick person coughs or sneezes. They can spray droplets as far as 6
feet away. If you breathe them in or swallow them, the virus can get into your
body. Some people who have the virus don't have symptoms, but they can still
spread the virus.

You can also get the virus from touching a surface or object the virus is on, then
touching your mouth, nose, or possibly your eyes. Most viruses can live for several
hours on a surface that they land on. A study shows that SARS-CoV-2 can last for
several hours on various types of surfaces:

 Copper: 4 hours

 Cardboard: up to 24 hours

 Plastic or stainless steel: 2 to 3 days

That’s why it’s important to disinfect surfaces to get rid of the virus.

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Some dogs and cats have tested positive for the virus. A few have shown signs of
illness. There’s no evidence that humans can catch this coronavirus from an
animal, but it appears it can be passed from humans to animals.

Symptoms of Corona Virus

The main symptoms include:

 Fever 

 Coughing

 Shortness of breath

 Trouble breathing

 Fatigue

 Chills, sometimes with shaking

 Body aches

 Headache

 Sore throat

 Congestion/runny nose

 Loss of smell or taste

 Nausea

 Diarrhea

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The virus can lead to pneumonia, respiratory failure, heart problems, liver
problems, septic shock, and death. Many COVID-19 complications may be caused
by a condition known as cytokine release syndrome or a cytokine storm. This is
when an infection triggers your immune system to flood your bloodstream with
inflammatory proteins called cytokines. They can kill tissue and damage your
organs.

Pathology

SARS-CoV-2 primarily targets the lungs, the vasculatures, and the immune
system. The initial step of the viral multiplication is the binding to the surface of
respiratory cells mediated by the spike (S) viral protein. It had been speculated that
SARS-CoV-2 likely utilize angiotensin- converting enzyme 2 (ACE2, EC
3.4.17.23) of various mammals, except murines and a few birds, such as pigeon.
The affinity of SARS-CoV-2 for ACE2 is 10–20-higher than that of SARS- CoV.

The pathogenesis involves two interconnected processes: lung inflammation and

immune deficiency, both of which are related to an improper immunologic
response and over-production of proinflammatory cytokines, Additionally, altered
redox balance in infected cells through alteration of NAD+ biosynthesis, poly
(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) function along with changeing proteasome and
mitochondrial function further exacerbate inflammation and lipid peroxidation
resulting in cell damage. Furthermore, SARS-CoV-2 induced activation of
apoptosis and p53 signaling pathway in lymphocytes causes lymphopenia in such
patients.

SARS-CoV-2 demonstrates neurotropic behaviour and may also cause

neurological diseases. It is reported that CoV are often found in the brain or
cerebrospinal fluid. Another feature of severe COVID-19 is coagulopathy, which is

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determined by elevated plasmin(ogen) in such patients. Plasmin and other
proteases, may cleave furin site in the S protein of SARS-CoV-2 extracellularly,
which increases its infectivity and virulence, and is related to hyperfibrinolysis.

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Prevention

Infection can spead only in the existence of contact. Nosocomial spread is usually
controlled through preliminary infection control measures, including wearing of
face masks, respiratory etiquette, hand and environmental hygiene. Personal
protective equipment (PPE) is a vital element; but it is just one component of a
shielding system from COVID-19 infection. Quarantine or physical segregation is
vital to confirm effectiveness, including short- to medium-term lockdowns,
voluntary home curfew, curb on the gathering of people, cessation of social and
public events and closure of mass transit systems.

Control

There are no vaccines or antiviral drugs to prevent or treat human coronavirus

infections. Treatment is only supportive. A number of antiviral targets have been
identified such as viral proteases, polymerases, and entry proteins. Drugs are in
development which target these proteins and the different steps of viral replication.
A number of vaccines using different methods are also under development for
different human coronaviruses.

There are no antiviral drugs to treat animal coronaviruses. Vaccines are available
for IBV, TGEV, and Canine CoV, although their effectiveness is limited. In the
case of outbreaks of highly contagious animal coronaviruses, such as PEDV,
measures such as destruction of entire herds of pigs may be used to prevent
transmission to other herds.