The pathogen of a new lung disease has kept the world in suspense for weeks. Now the virus is spreading in Europe and Germany. Researchers explain how contagious the new corona virus is – and how dangerous.
The number of infections caused by the novel corona virus is increasing steadily. New deaths are known every day. Many people are concerned. How dangerous is the virus?
Current development: Corona virus in the news blog
What is known about the corona virus?
Since February 11, the pathogen originally named 2019-nCoV has had a new name: SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the large family of corona viruses – so named because they are surrounded by jagged structures that resemble a crown. Harmless types often only trigger mild cold infections. The new corona virus, on the other hand, can lead to pneumonia and severe breathing difficulties. The lung disease that can trigger the corona virus has been given the name Covid-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019).
Many doctors compare it to the SARS pathogen that caused an epidemic in 2002/2003. SARS stands for “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome”. The new name of the corona virus indicates the close relationship between the two viruses. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 8,096 people worldwide developed SARS, 774 of them died. At that time, 349 deaths from mainland China were reported, as well as 299 others from China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
It has been estimated that more than 80,000 people have contracted the corona virus, around 2,700 of whom have died of lung disease so far.
How is the virus transmitted?
Like all corona viruses, the new pathogen was probably first transmitted from animals to humans. Mammals in particular carry germs that can spread to humans. Bats and fruit bats are among the sources of the new corona viruses. Farm animals have also transmitted corona viruses to humans in the past.
The new virus can also be transmitted directly from person to person. This is possible even before an infected person has developed symptoms such as fever or cough. It is not yet certain whether the pathogen can only be transmitted via a droplet infection or also through a smear infection. It can be assumed that, like other corona viruses, transmission takes place primarily via respiratory secretions.
The new types of corona viruses were also found in stool samples from some of those affected. According to the Federal Center for Health Education, it has not yet been finally clarified whether the virus can also be spread via the stool. The German Society for Infectious Diseases assumes that you have to have contact at a distance of less than one meter in order to become infected.
As the Ärzteblatt reports, Günter Kampf from the Institute for Hygiene and Environmental Medicine at the University Medical Center Greifswald, together with Eike Steinmann from the Ruhr University Bochum, has compiled 22 studies on coronaviruses and their inactivation. This means that corona viruses can remain on inanimate surfaces such as metal, glass or plastic for up to nine days – if they are not removed.
A case from Wuhan has also suggested that the virus can also be transmitted from the mother to the newborn. Such an infection was found in an infant 30 hours after birth, Zeng Lingkong, the head of the newborn ward at Wuhan Children’s Hospital, said the China News Service news agency.
Coronavirus under the microscope: Many questions about the enigmatic lung disease from China have still not been answered. (Source: Center for Disease Control / epa / dpa)
What are the symptoms?
According to current knowledge, the virus can cause fever and cough, and more severe symptoms such as pneumonia can also occur. Other symptoms of the virus include chills, headache, and difficulty breathing. Typical flu symptoms such as runny nose or sore throat are also included, according to the Robert Koch Institute. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, some sufferers also suffer from diarrhea.
The incubation period – the period between infection and the onset of symptoms – should be two to 14 days according to current knowledge. A pathogen gets from lung to lung more difficult than with the droplets when sneezing. There is currently no special therapy for treating the infection, only the symptoms can be alleviated with medication.
However, deaths have so far mainly occurred in patients who were older or who had previously suffered from chronic diseases.
Are men and older people particularly at risk?
So far, a particularly large number of older people have been infected. The now known case of an infected child in Germany is therefore rather unusual. Several recently published studies support the assumption that older people are particularly often infected with the virus. In addition, men are apparently affected somewhat more often than women – possibly because women generally have a slightly better immune system.
In a study published in the journal “Lancet”, Chinese researchers evaluated the course of the disease in almost 100 infected patients from Wuhan. According to this, those affected were on average almost 60 years old. 67 percent of them were male. The evaluations also confirm the previous assumption that mainly people with severe previous illnesses are infected. According to the study, half of the patients examined had a chronic pre-existing condition such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
In another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), scientists from China evaluated the course of the disease of 425 patients from Wuhan, whose infection had become known until January 22. Here, too, the average age of the sick was around 60 years, 56 of the 99 infected people examined were men. Not a single child was among the 425 patients. This could be an indication that children are not getting infected as easily or that they usually develop very mild symptoms.
Where does the virus come from?
The coronavirus probably has its origins in a fish market in Wuhan, a city with eleven million inhabitants in the east Chinese province of Hubei.
“The source is believed to have been animals sold in this market,” said Arnaud Fontanet, head of the epidemiology of emerging diseases department at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. The market was closed and disinfected at the beginning of the year.
Are the dangers comparable to SARS?
The new pathogen is currently considered to be less dangerous than the SARS pathogen. While the death rate for the SARS virus was around ten percent, it was only about two percent for the corona virus. It is even assumed that the rate is even lower because cases with a mild course are not recorded.
If the corona virus mutates, like SARS at the time, this could change. Some scientists assume that the situation will improve with the onset of warmer weather, which “is not conducive to the spread of contagious respiratory diseases”. Other experts, such as the infectiologist Stefan Moritz from the Halle University Hospital, doubt this.
Contagion and course of the disease during the SARS pandemic 2002/2003
Is there a threat of a coronavirus pandemic?
Despite increasing numbers of cases in several countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) remains optimistic. It was very encouraging that the number of cases in China fell, said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shortly after the spread in Italy. The spread of the virus could still be stopped. However, the numbers from Italy, Iran and South Korea are very worrying, he said. According to the WHO’s assessment, it has so far not been a pandemic, but epidemics in individual countries.
German health politicians also continued to emphasize that Germany is well prepared for possible infections. There are “clear pandemic plans, regular exercises and the resources to respond quickly and effectively,” the Ministry of Health said.
Depending on the risk assessment for Germany, further possible measures are continuously being examined. The Ministry of Health has currently requested an unscheduled expenditure of up to 23 million euros. Among other things, this is intended to promote the fight against outbreaks and risk communication.
Coronavirus: is there a vaccine?
There is currently no vaccine. When a vaccination could be available is currently not foreseeable. However, according to the Robert Koch Institute, those who get vaccinated against the flu help to relieve the burden on the healthcare system. Older people can get vaccinated against pneumococci.
Scientists around the world are already working on the development of an active ingredient. According to media reports, a first vaccine candidate will be tested in a clinical trial in China from the end of April 2020.
In order to support international measures to contain the virus, the Chinese authorities published the gene sequence of the pathogen early. As a result, a test for identifying infections with the novel corona virus was quickly developed.
Travel warning: A large number of people are usually traveling in the country for the Chinese New Year. (Source: Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters)
What do you need to consider now?
So far there is no evidence of a continuing virus circulation in Germany. Nevertheless, the Federal Ministry of Health advises to adhere to the following measures:
- Pay attention to good hand hygiene.
- Follow the cough-sneeze etiquette.
- Keep your distance from the sick.
If you are already ill, wearing a nose and throat protector can be useful to reduce the risk of infecting other people with droplets that occur when you cough or sneeze. However, according to the Robert Koch Institute, it has not been sufficiently proven whether mouth-nose protection protects a healthy person from being infected. On the contrary, wearing a mask can create a false sense of security.
If you are concerned that you have already contracted an infection, for example, you should contact your responsible health department. After an individual survey, necessary measures are then taken.
The following areas are classified as risk areas by the Robert Koch Institute and should therefore be avoided:
- In China: Hubei Province (including Wuhan City) and the cities of Wenzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Taizhou in Zhejiang Province.
- In Iran: Qom province
- In Italy: Province of Lodi in the Lombardy region and the city of Vo in the province of Padua in the Veneto region.
- In South Korea: Gyeongsangbuk-do Province (North Gyeongsang)
The Federal Foreign Office also recommends, if a trip to one of the areas cannot be avoided, to pay even more attention to hygiene, to avoid market visits and contact with animals and raw animal products as well as with infected people.
– ,
