THE CORONAVIRUS EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT

1. The Coronavirus (crown-shaped) virus are a group of viruses that cause diseases of the respiratory tract. From the perspective of molecular biology, one can note that their genome is made, not of DNA, but of RNA.

2. They infect several animals, including humans. Many of them cause mild diseases, but occasionally some of them can be the pathogens of more deadly outbreaks.

3. The ongoing 'arms race' between attacking viruses and defending/succumbing animals is, to put it rather blandly, nothing more than an example of the continuous process of biological evolution on this planet.

4. Of course, we'd not be discussing this if it was just biological curiosity. At least two nasty coronaviruses had struck hard enough at human populations  in the recent 2 decades to be easily retained in our collective memory - MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus) of 2012-13 and the SARS-Cov (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus) of 2003-04.

5. The MERS probably originated in Saudi Arabia and then spread to other parts of the Arab world and Europe. By mid-2013, several patients were dead.

6. The SARS caused a bigger fright worldwide probably because public psychology had no recorded memory of such a thing for a much longer time.  The epidemic started in end-2002 in China's Guangdong Province and then rapidly spread to ~30 countries, again aided by travellers (hence the recent restrictions on travel as you read in the 'papers) . 

7. The scariest part for both MERS and SARS (although more for the latter) was its high mortality rate. 800 of ~8000 infected were dead overall, but for the elderly it was an absolute killer with ~50% mortality ; worse, the fast spread through airborne droplets meant a large number of doctors and nurses fell sick fast crippling the healthcare systems!

6. Fast forward to 2019. A new coronavirus - a cousin of SARS-CoV (the genomes are 80% identical)  first came into notice in dec-2019. Named 2019-nCov ('n' for novel) it was almost-certainly attacking some other animal so long (initial suspicion was snakes, but its now doubted - could be some seafood), but has now evolved to attack humans too.  And the place where it seems to have crossed over to humans is some exotic animal food market in Wuhan, capital of China's Hubei province. 

7. Again, although it makes sensational news, this is not scientifically surprising. Viruses jump from species to species occasionally. It is a new niche to exploit and that the stuff evolution is made of. As Michael Crichton had so crisply put it, 'Life finds a way'.

Famously, the SARS-CoV initially lived in bats, but had entered civets ( a cat-like animal) when they had eaten fruits contaminated with droppings of bats. When Chinese markets sold civets as exotic food, the virus came in close proximity to humans and 'a lucky one' acquired the ability to jump! soon, its descendants didnt even need the animal to bridge. they were spreading rapidly from man to man! 2019-nCoV is doing something similar - they are cousins.

7. While studies will continue, the important thing is that the Chinese seemed to have learnt their lesson from the SARS scare. They have moved with solid professional speed to identify, sequence (study the genome) and quarantine potential hotspot populations. 

8. 2019-nCoV - which causes flu-like symptoms - is not idle either. It is probably spreading fast. More than 900 people are down, and at least 26 are dead. Importantly, since it is so new, no human population has ever faced it before and so there is no immunological memory of 2019-nCoV. This means that if the virus enters a human, only the individual's innate non-specific immune mechanisms can be marshaled against it. It is the equivalent of using the policemen to face a tank regiment, and, as you can understand, that is just not going to be enough.  It is this life and death race that is worrying governments and doctors and WHO and everyone who can sense its potential gravity. 

8. That said, the world is much better prepared. the sheer amount of discussion filtering into world media is proof of how much more concerned everyone is. Yes, there is no vaccine yet (takes a bit of time to study and do that) and drugs are being tested, but its a doomsday come. no way.

9. Big risk to any of us? Unless you have traveled to Hubei, or those exotic chinese markets or been in contact at airports who was sick with it, the chances of getting 2019-nCov is really less. Watch the news, be updated, that is it.

10. The basic safety rule: Wash hands with soap (not sanitizer) after you return indoors (office, home) from outside. Simple hand washing has probably saved more lives than any medicine. 

11. Worth testing efficacy of gaumutra on this for sure. Everyone claims it is a panacea.

(references:
 https://www.facebook.com/thestemtimes/photos/a.173550999939074/512568562703981/?type=3&theater; 
https://www.facebook.com/paul.rothlauf.3/posts/10212575195093164?hc_location=ufi; 
Brock - Biology of Microrganisms 14th edition;
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00180-8
 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00166-6)