Post 13: a message to TL LVA bloggers

chloroquine

Chloroquine is a drug used to treat malaria. It is being explored and tested as a possible treatment for the novel coronavirus.The chemical formula of chloroquine, a synthetic substance, is C18H26ClN3. Chloroquine is sometimes abbreviated as CQ. A derivative of chloroquine is hydroxychloroquine.While malaria is caused by a parasite (transmitted by mosquitoes), chloroquine has proven effective in treating SARS, a disease caused by a coronavirus closely related to the one that causes COVID-19. That’s why chloroquine is being tried out as a treatment for COVID-19.Other drugs being considered for COVID-19 are remdesivir (GS-5734) and lopinavir/ritonavir.

COVID-19

COVID-19 is a highly infectious respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus. The disease was discovered in China in December 2019 and has since spread around the world.COVID is short for coronavirus disease. The number 19 refers to the fact that the disease was first detected in 2019.The technical name of the virus that causes COVID-19 is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, abbreviated as SARS-CoV-2.

epidemiology

Epidemiology is the branch of medicine dealing with the incidence and prevalence of disease in large populations and with detection of the source and cause of epidemics of infectious disease.An epidemiologist is a person who studies or is an expert in epidemiology.

immunity

Immunity is the state of being immune from (“protected from a disease”) or insusceptible to a particular disease; the condition that permits either natural or acquired resistance to disease.

isolation

Isolation is the complete separation from others of a person suffering from contagious or infectious disease.In public health, isolation happens when a person is infected with a communicable disease, and is separated from people who are healthy. This helps stop the spread of disease.Self-isolation is voluntary isolation. Note that everyday people may use self-isolation when they aren’t infected and are social distancing.

quarantine

Quarantine is a strict isolation imposed to prevent the spread of disease.In public health, people are placed in quarantine when they are not currently sick, but have been or may have been exposed to a communicable disease. This helps stop the spread of the disease.Self-quarantine is when someone isn’t ordered to go into quarantine but chooses to do so out of caution; also called voluntary quarantine.

respirator

A respirator is a masklike device, usually of gauze, worn over the mouth (or nose and mouth) to prevent the inhalation of noxious substances or the like.To help protect them from COVID-19, health professionals wear respirators to filter out virus particles as they breathe in so they don’t get infected and can help patients. For these professionals, the CDC specifically recommends using what are called N95 respirators, which fit more tightly around the nose and mouth than medical or surgical masks.Respiration is breathing, the inhalation and exhalation or air. Respiratory means “pertaining to respiration,” as in a respiratory disease like COVID-19.

social distancing

Social distancing refers to measures that reduce contact between large groups of people.Social distancing measures often entail canceling big gatherings (such as conferences, classes, church services, concerts, and sporting events), restricting mass transit and travel, and working from home.The CDC specifically recommends maintaining a distance of 6 feet (2 meters) between people.During the coronavirus outbreak, people commonly spoke or wrote of hunkering down at home as they practiced social distancing.

virus

A virus is an infectious agent that replicates only within the cells of living hosts, mainly bacteria, plants, and animals.Viruses are composed of an RNA or DNA core, a protein coat, and, in more complex types, a surrounding envelope. They are ultramicroscopic, 20 to 300 nanometers (nm) in length. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. Viruses are also metabolically inert, which is why they only can replicate themselves in cells of living hosts.COVID-19 spreads through droplets from the mouth and nose of a person with COVID-19 after coughing, sneezing, exhaling, talking, etc.

symptom

Symptom is a phenomenon that arises from and accompanies a particular disease or disorder and serves as an indication of it.Major symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, dry cough, fatigue, and difficulty breathing.