MEDICAL TOURISM EXPERT TAKE
THE RISING THREAT OF VIRAL EPIDEMICS Dr Sheeja Srinivas Edamana
V
iral epidemics are occurring quite frequently and spreading faster and further than ever before. The SARS in 2003, Swine Flu in 2009, Ebola in 2014 and the novel Coronavirus (named Covid-19 by WHO) now, the outbreaks have become a fact of life. The world remains vulnerable to these viral epidemics despite advances made in virus discovery and their control since the turn of 20th century. The word Virus means ‘poison’ in Latin. They cannot exist by themselves and can replicate and reproduce only in a living organism. The threat of viral infections turning out to be epidemics is all the more now, thanks to rapid urbanisation and explosive population growth. The transportation networks, both domestic as well as international, continue to expand in reach, speed of travel and volume of passengers and goods carried, resulting in pathogens and their vectors moving across countries. Many dangerous viral infections are zoonoses, diseases transmitted from animals to humans. The expansion of human settlements towards forest
22 Medical Tourism Jan - Mar 2020
areas provides more opportunities for viruses to have contact with humans. Growing human population requires increased and more compact livestock production and these domestic livestock may carry viruses that infect humans. The recent outbreaks of Corona, Nipah had their origin in animals. The population of the best known disease vector, mosquitoes, is on the rise due to improper waste disposal and deforestation. Some viruses like HIV, transmitted via sexual contact, are also on the rise due to unprotected sex and usually there is a long gap between HIV infection and the onset of disease. The infected person may carry the virus for years before finally becoming aware of it. Most human viruses replicate in huge numbers. Changes in their genetic code leading to mutations are also very high in viruses, which help them to adapt quickly to an adverse environment. This also results in viral epidemics. There is no specific drug for most of the human viruses partly because the viruses multiply fast and belong to diverse groups with no common drug
targets to exploit. The viruses use the infected person’s cell machinery to reproduce and the drugs that target the growth of viruses may affect the person’s cell, resulting in serious side effects. Further, the capacity of the virus to adapt implies that they have high potential to develop resistance to a drug.
CORONAVIRUS Though the Corona virus outbreak occurred in China, the infection has spread globally in no time. A large number of people with the virus strain travelling out of the country has contributed to this and even a tiny State like Kerala reported three positive cases. The toll, since the disease outbreak in December, has surpassed 2700 deaths across 29 countries. Coronavirus is one among a number of viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans, the virus causes respiratory infections ranging from common cold, typically mild, to pneumonia as well as acute respiratory distress syndrome. The epidemic started in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province in China, and was reported first from a wildlife market in Wuhan.
