UNS — In early 2020, the world community was surprised by the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCov) also known as coronavirus. Responding to this matter, the faculty member of the Faculty of Medicine (FK) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta who is also the Dean of FK UNS, Dr. Reviono, dr., Sp.P (K) stated that 2019-nCov or coronavirus is a new virus that causes respiratory disease. This virus has a similarity with the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) virus.
Dr. Reviono stated that the transmission of this coronavirus is very fast because it passes from human to human. Therefore, the community has to understand the symptoms they felt if they are exposed to this virus. The symptoms include coughing, fever, difficulty in breathing, contact history with people who are positive with coronavirus, and the person who has just back from traveling abroad.
“If experiences these symptoms, they have to contact a health service or hospital immediately to get a prompt check-up and medical treatment,” stated Dr. Reviono, Monday (27/1/2020).
However, people do not need to panic. There are tips to prevent coronavirus infection, such as by frequently washing hand with soap, using mask, consuming balanced diets, adds the consumption of vegetables and fruits, maintain physical fitness, avoid source of infection, exercise regularly and get enough sleep, do not consume uncooked meat, and limit your outdoor activities when having flu so you don’t become a source of infection.
“Always washing hands after traveling is very important. Because our hands often touch the door handles, banisters, and other things, so that it is feared that our hands are exposed to the virus,” he stated.
In Indonesia, there has been no coronavirus infection case to date. The government has been on alert to respond to the spread of the virus by stopping flights from and to China and installing body heat detectors at various airports. “So, if someone is infected by a coronavirus, their body temperature will rise. Therefore, this tool is installed in several airports to detect people who are infected with coronavirus,” Dr. Reviono said.
Dr. Reviono added that the coronavirus case in Wuhan, China, has claimed the lives of dozens of people who are mostly old people with comorbidities. As for 80% of the patients recovered because they do not have comorbidity and are still relatively young.
“Eighty percent of patients in China recover on their own because currently there is a special vaccine for coronavirus. For example, if we got flu, even if we do not take medicines, it can be cured because the virus with its age can be died by itself. There is interferon inside our body in the form of natural protein produced as a response to fight dangerous compounds, like viruses. If the production of interferon is sufficient, virus infection can be controlled and die. However, in old people and there is an accompanying disease, the production of interferon is not sufficient and the virus can keep growing,” he explained. Humas UNS
