expert group believes that the pathogen of this unexplained viral pneumonia case was initially determined to be a new type of coronavirus. Coronavirus
is a pathogen that mainly causes respiratory and intestinal diseases. There are many regularly arranged protrusions on the surface of this type of virus particle. The entire virus particle is like a crown of an emperor, hence the name "coronavirus." In addition to humans, coronaviruses can also infect pigs, cows, cats, dogs, minks, camels, bats, mice, hedgehogs and other mammals and birds.
So far, there are six known human coronaviruses. Four of the coronaviruses are more common in the population, with low pathogenicity, and generally only cause mild respiratory symptoms similar to the common cold. The other two coronaviruses-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, also known as SARS coronavirus and MERS coronavirus for short, can cause severe respiratory diseases.
The new coronavirus that caused the epidemic is different from the human coronaviruses that have been discovered, and further scientific research is needed to understand the virus in depth.
Global Concerns
On January 4, 2020, the official website of Science magazine expressed its concern about pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan, China, and pointed out in the report that pneumonia of unknown cause may be caused by a new type of human virus. The
Science report pointed out that the Wuhan health department has ruled out common respiratory diseases such as influenza, avian flu, adenovirus infection , and called this disease "viral pneumonia of unknown cause." In the face of this epidemic, the rapid sharing of information by the local health department in Wuhan has been widely praised, but infectious disease experts in China and around the world are still eager to obtain more detailed information about this mysterious pathogen and the diseases it produces in patients.
(Source: Science official website)
Science also quoted one of today’s international authorities on avian influenza viruses, Professor Guan Yi, director of the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Hong Kong. Guan Yi pointed out that there are unconfirmed reports saying, This time, the mother and son had the same disease. This situation may have attracted the attention of the health department. But the same mother-child illness does not necessarily involve human-to-human transmission, because the son of the mother and child is a stall owner at the South China Seafood Market. His mother often visits him there. They may also be exposed to the same pathogen at the same time. And contracted this pneumonia.
Guan Yi also pointed out that recent patients with pneumonia have had a clear response to standard pneumonia treatment, so "I don't think it is SARS this time." In view of the fact that the epidemic is inextricably linked to the South China seafood market, the authorities should "work hard to unearth the source of zoonotic diseases." An official from the Beijing Office of the World Health Organization said that the WHO is currently paying close attention to and closely monitoring the unexplained pneumonia, and will announce and share it in time when more information is available.
Marjorie Pollack, head of the Monitoring Emerging Diseases project that tracks global infectious disease outbreaks through Internet services, wrote on the Internet, “If you can provide more information about this (epidemic) outbreak, including demographic data on the cases , Possible known common contacts and clinical descriptions of diseases, I would be very grateful.”
Welcoming the New Year’s Panic
On December 30, 2019, an emergency notice from the Wuhan Municipal Health and Health Commission was transmitted online, indicating that Wuhan South China Pneumonia patients of unknown cause have appeared one after another in the seafood market.
"Pneumonia of unknown cause" is actually not new, but the words "Wuhan Municipal Health Commission", "Urgent Notice", "National Health Commission Expert Group has arrived in Wuhan" in the pictures on the Internet, as well as the speculation of "SARS recurrence", rapidIt caused people to panic while welcoming the New Year.
Figure | Emergency notice issued by Wuhan Municipal Health Commission on December 30, 2019
On December 31, 2019, Wuhan Municipal Health Commission notified the pneumonia epidemic situation. The notification pointed out that the Municipal Health Commission carried out cooperation in medical and health institutions throughout the city. There are related case searches and retrospective investigations in South China Seafood City, and 27 cases have been found so far, of which 7 cases are in serious condition, while the rest of the cases are in stable and controllable condition, and 2 cases have improved and are scheduled to be discharged in the near future. The clinical manifestations of the cases were mainly fever, a few patients had difficulty breathing, and chest radiographs showed infiltrating foci of both lungs. At present, all cases have been treated in isolation, follow-up investigation and medical observation of close contacts are underway, and hygienic investigation and environmental sanitation treatment of South China Seafood City are underway.
However, on January 3, 2020, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission once again issued a report on unexplained viral pneumonia. As of 8:00 on January 3, 2020, a total of 44 patients with unexplained viral pneumonia diagnoses were found Among them, 11 were severely ill, and the vital signs of the remaining patients were generally stable. At present, all cases are being treated in isolation at medical institutions in Wuhan. 121 close contacts have been traced and medical observations have been made, and the tracing of close contacts is still in progress.
(Source: Wuhan Municipal Health Commission)
In addition, the notification also pointed out that pathogen identification (including nucleic acid testing and virus isolation and culture) and etiological traceability are in progress, and common respiratory tract infections such as influenza, avian influenza, and adenovirus have been excluded disease.
On January 5, 2020, the Wuhan Health and Health Commission issued another notification. As of 8:00 on January 5, 2020, a total of 59 patients with unexplained viral pneumonia diagnoses were reported, including 7 severely ill patients, and the remaining patients’ vital signs Stable, all patients are currently receiving isolation treatment in Wuhan medical institutions, and there are no deaths. Among the 59 patients, the earliest onset time of the case was December 12, 2019, and the latest onset time was December 29; 163 close contacts have been traced for medical observation, and the tracing of close contacts is still in progress . The constantly updated information of
has also triggered people's speculation about "the Spring Festival is coming, will the epidemic worsen", "Since it is not a common virus, whether it will be a new type of human virus" and so on.
Why is unexplained pneumonia terrible?
viral pneumonia is more common in winter and spring, and can be sporadic or outbreak. The main clinical manifestations are fever, body aches, a small number of breathing difficulties, and lung infiltration. Viral pneumonia is related to the virulence of the virus, the route of infection, and the age and immune status of the host.
According to the information released by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, the virus that causes viral pneumonia is influenza virus, and the others are parainfluenza virus, cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, rhinovirus, and coronavirus. The diagnosis depends on pathogenic tests, including virus isolation, serological tests, and virus antigen and nucleic acid tests. The disease is preventable and controllable. Keep indoor air circulation for prevention. Avoid closed public places and crowded places with poor air circulation. You can wear masks when you go out. Clinically, symptomatic treatment is the mainstay, and bed rest is required. If you have the above symptoms, especially if the fever persists, you should go to a medical institution in time.
(Source: PixaBay)
On December 30, 2019, the “Emergency Notice on Doing a Good Job in the Treatment of Pneumonia of Unexplained Causes” issued by the Medical Administration and Medical Administration Department of Wuhan Municipal Health Commission pointed out that some medical institutions in Wuhan have successively appeared with unknown causes Pneumonia patients. So what is unexplained pneumonia? How is it different from common viral pneumonia?
Actually, "pneumonia of unknown cause" is a term put forward by the former Ministry of Health after the SARS epidemic to better detect and deal with SARS, human avian influenza , and other pneumonia with similar manifestations and certain infectiousness. Although "unexplained pneumonia" is not a rigorous medical concept, it is very useful for screening SARS, human avian influenza and other pneumonia with special clinical manifestations and certain infectiousness, timely detecting suspicious cases, issuing early warnings, and taking corresponding prevention and control measures.Significance.
According to the "National Surveillance, Investigation and Management Plan for Pneumonia Cases of Unexplained Cause" issued by the former Ministry of Health, cases of pneumonia of unknown cause are defined as: pneumonia cases that have the following 4 items and cannot be clearly diagnosed as other diseases: (1) Fever ( Axillary body temperature ≥38℃); (2) Imaging features of pneumonia; (3) The total number of white blood cells is reduced or normal in the early stage of onset, or the lymphocyte classification count is reduced; (4) After standard antibiotic treatment for 3-5 days (reference The 2006 version of the “Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Community Acquired Pneumonia” issued by the Respiratory Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Association) showed no significant improvement or progressive aggravation.
Figure | After the fight against SARS (source: Xinhua News Agency)
SARS, my country has also formed a mature surveillance system for pneumonia of unknown cause. According to regulations, medical staff of various medical institutions at all levels find cases that meet the definition of pneumonia of unknown cause , Should immediately report to the relevant departments of the medical institution, and the medical institution will organize the expert team of the unit to conduct consultation and investigation within 12 hours. If the diagnosis is still not clear, the infectious disease report card should be filled out immediately, indicating "unexplained pneumonia" and online Direct report. According to CCTV news on January 8th: 8 patients with unexplained viral pneumonia in Wuhan were cured and discharged. It is understood that these 8 patients were previously diagnosed and treated in Wuhan related hospitals, and later were collectively admitted to Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital. After diagnosis and treatment by medical institutions, he has been without clinical manifestations such as fever and pneumonia for several days. After the diagnosis by clinical experts, they are deemed to meet the discharge criteria and can be discharged.
