Watch for signs of virus
EVERYTHING PARENTS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CORONAVIRUS, ACCORDING TO MADELINE COX OF KIDSPOT.COM.AU
OVER the past few weeks, thousands of Australian families have passed through airports and squished into plane seats on their way home to start the new school year.
Many may now be wondering if doing this has placed their family at risk – with news of the major coronavirus outbreak dominating headlines around the world.
It is believed the new strain of the deadly virus originated in Wuhan, a city with more than 11 million people in central China.
More than 14,300 cases have since cropped up around the world – with at least 304 lives already lost and 12 people in Australia now confirmed to have been infected.
Coronavirus symptoms are often similar to mild respiratory infections, but this strain is concerning, as patients have developed fevers, difficulty breathing and even pneumonia.
The World Health Organisation has declared an international public health emergency as scientists struggle to understand how the coronavirus is being transmitted and how contagious it is.
What is the virus?
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses typically found in animals that target the respiratory system. The WHO has identified at least seven strains that can also infect people, including the common cold, MERS and SARS – which caused 774 deaths out of 8096 cases worldwide.
The strain currently affecting people around the world is known as 2019-nCoV or novel coronavirus 2019.
“There’s a bloody good chance we’ve all had one of these viruses in our lives, just not this particular one,” doctor Sam Hayes tells Kidspot. “It’s transmitted by coughing, spluttering, with victims either breathing the virus in or picking it up off infected surfaces. We don’t yet know how long the virus can live on a surface, such as a kitchen bench, toilet seat, or your mobile phone, but it’s likely to be a few hours.”
What are the symptoms?
Coronavirus symptoms are often similar to mild respiratory infections – but Australia’s Department of Health has advised that this strain can affect people more severely.
People may develop symptoms including fever, coughing, sore throat and headaches, and difficulty breathing.
While older people and those with underlying health conditions are expected to be worst hit by the outbreak, kids and pregnant women are also at risk.
“As a new strain, we don’t know much about it yet – and that’s what’s keeping health authorities on their toes,” Dr Hayes says. “Symptoms seem to show up a couple of weeks after exposure, with many progressing to severe pneumonia, and death striking about 3 per cent.
“But to put that death rate into perspective, influenza carries a death rate of around 1 per cent or less, and the deadly SARS outbreak a few years ago, another coronavirus strain, killed about 10 per cent of sufferers.”
Should pregnant women be concerned?
Pregnant woman are more susceptible to getting sick due parts of their immune system being weakened during gestation.
Therefore, pregnant woman are more likely to be affected by coronavirus in the same way they are more likely to come down with the flu.
What about my kids?
Make sure they wash their hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
Also, keep them away from anyone you see coughing or sneezing.
“There is an argument that kids deemed high-risk stay away from school until at least two weeks has passed, and they’ve received the all-clear from their doctor,” Dr Hayes says. “I urge all worried parents to discuss their situation with their family doctor.”
Government guidelines
The federal Department of Health has issued the following guidelines for parents. If your child develops mild symptoms:
Keep them at home – and especially don’t send them to school or childcare
Call your doctor or local hospital to tell them that your child may have coronavirus
Tell them again when you arrive at the clinic or hospital
If your child has serious symptoms such as shortness of breath, call 000 and ask for an ambulance. Make sure to tell paramedics that you believe your child has a coronavirus infection.