People need not panic about cornavirus: DC

‘While no case was reported in the district, the administration is geared up to tackle the situation’

Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B. Rupesh on Friday said people need not panic about novel coronavirus, as no such case has been reported in the district, even as she urged them to report any symptoms of the illness to the Health Department.

Speaking to presspersons here, Ms. Rupesh asked people not to get carried away by misinformation campaign on social media about the illness.

District Health Officer (DHO) Ramakrishna Rao said the World Health Organisation (WHO) gave an alert about several cases of pneumonia in Wuhan city in China, and later the authorities identified the cornoavirus on January7.

The virus, he said, is from a large family of viruses that are common among different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats and bats.

The affected person will have cough, fever, pneumonia, breathlessness, vomiting, and diarrhea and in advanced cases, the person would face serious complications leading to death, Dr. Rao said.

While there was no specific treatment for the illness nor was there any vaccine to prevent it, symptomatic and supportive treatment could control the illness in most of the times. People, already having diseases like diabetes, renal failure, kids and the aged, were categorised as high-risk persons.

Treating the affected in isolation was the best method to contain the spread. As many as 10 beds were reserved for isolation treatment at the Government Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru, and private medical colleges have agreed to keep apart upto five beds, Dr. Rao said.

In the absence of any vaccine, maintaining personal hygiene could avoid the outbreak of the disease to a large extent, the DHO said.

Remaining at a safer distance from affected persons, properly washing one’s hands with soap/ sanitiser etc., could avoid spread of the disease, Dr. Rao said.

While the health officials were in dialogue with seaport and airport at Mangaluru, chances of arrival of affected persons to the district through them were very less, he added.

Zilla Panchayat CEO R. Selvamani, Indian Medical Association’s Mangaluru Chapter President Annayya Kulal and others were present.