World Health Organization (WHO). ” data-reactid=”19 “type=” text “> Whether you’re watching TV or reading the news, you’d be hard-pressed to avoid a story about coronavirus. And it’s no wonder, since the outbreak – which now affects more than countries outside of China, where the Wuhan coronavirus originated – has been declared a global health emergency by the (World Health Organization
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The flu virus has already killed an estimated , people across the US, including (children) , according to the CDC. In fact, the – flu season is shaping up to be (one of the worst in years. & nbsp; “data-reactid=” “type=” text “> But there’s another major health threat that seems to be getting lost in the fray: the flu An estimated million Americans have been infected with the flu so far this season, and , of them have been hospitalized because of the illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The flu virus has already killed an estimated , people across the US, including (children) , according to the CDC. In fact, the – flu season is shaping up to be one of the worst
, people and killed , according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University
data-reactid=”21 “type=” text “> In contrast, the Wuhan coronavirus has infected more than 33, (people and killed , according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University
Iahn Gonsenhauser , MD, chief quality and patient safety officer at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Yahoo Lifestyle that it’s still too early to classify how virulent the novel coronavirus strain is, he notes that we’re already facing “an epid emic of panic. ”” data-reactid=” (“type=” text “> While Iahn Gonsenhauser , MD, chief quality and patient safety officer at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Yahoo Lifestyle that it’s still too early to classify how virulent the novel coronavirus strain is, he notes that we’re already facing “an epidemic of panic.”
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pandemic – that terrifies people, ”he says, noting the word can bring up the terrible pandemics from history, such as the bubonic plague and smallpox. ”But really all we mean by that word is something that’s spreading across a large geographic area in a short amount of time. But it doesn’t necessarily indicate the virulence and deadliness of it. I think people think it’s like the movie (Outbreak) . ”“ Data-reactid=” “type=” text “> One of the reasons why coronavirus is garnering much more attention than the flu has to do with how we process language – and in particular, medical terminology, Gonsenhauser explains. “We throw around the word pandemic – that terrifies people, ”he says, noting the word can bring up the terrible pandemics from history, such as the bubonic plague and smallpox. “But really all we mean by that word is something that’s spreading across a large geographic area in a short amount of time. But it does not necessarily indicate the virulence and deadliness of it. I think people think it’s like the movie (Outbreak)
Another factor that may be contributing to the fear surrounding cor onavirus is that it shares similar symptoms with the flu, such as fever and cough, making it harder to tell what the disease the person coughing next to you on the train has. “The symptoms definitely overlap,” says Gonsenhauser. “One of the reasons that drives some of the panic is that this is happening during flu season. But if this were happening in the middle of summer when people weren’t getting colds and flu, it would be a lot more clear when people are coming back with symptoms we should be concerned about. ”
Also, practice good hand hygiene: Wash your hands with soap and warm or cold water for 25 seconds frequently throughout the day, and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Gonsenhauser explains that the primary mode of transmission for viruses like the flu and coronavirus is person-to-person and through body fluids, such as saliva and mucus. “You think about the number of people who wipe their nose on the back of their hand and then touch a doorknob or escalator handle, and then you touch it moments later,” he says. “[Viruses] Can live long enough to transmit that way.”
He adds: “If people were as concerned about influenza as they were about coronavirus we could potentially really create a much lower propensity for flu virus to spread in the US ”
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