Christian Keenan/Getty Images
- A coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, has killed 41 people and infected more than 1,200.
- The outbreak has spread to 10 other countries, including the US.
- The virus jumped from animals to people in December, likely at a Chinese wet market where live and dead animals were being sold.
- SARS was also a coronavirus. That outbreak killed 774 around the world between 2002 and 2003, and SARS also emerged in a wet market.
- Here's how the two viruses compare.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Forty-one people have died from a coronavirus outbreak that started in Wuhan, China, and at least 1,200 people have been infected across 11 countries.
The virus, which is marked by fevers and pneumonialike symptoms, likely originated in a wet market in the city of Wuhan. The markets put shoppers, vendors, and live and dead animals in close proximity, which raises the risk of a disease outbreak, since coronaviruses are zoonotic diseases (meaning they can jump from animals to people).
This outbreak has conjured a sense of déja vu for some people who remember the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak that started in November 2002. That was also a coronavirus, and it also jumped to people from animals in the wet markets. SARS emerged in Guangdong and infected 8,098 people over the course of eight months, killing 774 . Patients experienced fevers, headaches, and a type of deadly pneumonia that could cause respiratory failure.
Experts called SARS "the first pandemic of the 21st century," since it spread across 29 countries. The disease hasn't been seen in humans since July 2003.
So far, experts say, concerns that the Wuhan coronavirus is the next SARS are overblown. The two virus' symptoms and origins may be comparable, but their severity is not.
The new coronavirus appears to be less severe than the SARS, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Friday. It might be more contagious, however, given that the outbreak is spreading faster than SARS did.
Eric Toner, a senior scientist at John Hopkins University offered a similar assessment: "An initial first impression is that this is significantly milder than SARS," he told Business Insider. "That's reassuring. On the other hand, it may be more transmissible than SARS, at least in the community setting."
Here are some of the crucial differences between this outbreak and the SARS one 17 years ago.
The first report of the Wuhan coronavirus came on December 31, 2019. Wuhan is a city of 11 million people in the central province of Hubei, China.
Google Maps/Business Insider
SARS originated in the Guangdong province in southeastern China, near Hong Kong.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 50% of people impacted by SARS were age 65 or older, while the other half of infected patients varied widely in age.
PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images
So far, experts report that the median age of those who have died from the Wuhan coronavirus is around 75. Many of these individuals had other health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease.
Adrian Hyzler, chief medical officer at Healix International, told Business Insider that children, elderly people, pregnant women, and those who are immuno-compromised are more susceptible to the Wuhan coronavirus' most severe complications.
SARS didn't spread as fast in its first three weeks as the coronavirus has, according to the WHO.
Reuters
It took almost four months for SARS to spread to 1,000 people. The Wuhan coronavirus has infected more than 1,200 people in just 25 days.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- The flu is a far bigger threat to most people in the US than the Wuhan coronavirus. Here's why.
- Wuhan, China, and at least 11 other cities have been quarantined as China attempts to halt the spread of the coronavirus. That's about 33 million people on lockdown.
- The outbreaks of both the Wuhan coronavirus and SARS started in Chinese wet markets. Photos show what the markets look like.
SEE ALSO: The flu is a far bigger threat to most people in the US than the Wuhan coronavirus. Here's why.
from Feedburner https://ift.tt/2Gmpa7z
No comments:
Post a Comment