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Chinese infection

A new deadly coronavirus has appeared in the world. He was already called a threat to the Russians.

The planet is threatened by a new deadly virus that has appeared in China. This news has not left the tops of news agencies for several days, which is not surprising: I immediately recall the 2002 SARS epidemic, which began in one of the Chinese provinces and ultimately claimed the lives of more than 800 people around the world. In addition, people, as a rule, do not have immunity to a new infection, and it takes time to develop treatment or vaccines. In Russia, they have already stated that the virus poses a real threat to the population. Lenta.ru found out where the previously unknown virus came from and what the world would expect if it spreads.

Hundreds of sick

In December 2019, strange cases of viral pneumonia began to be recorded in Chinese Wuhan, a city with a population of 11 million people in Hubei Province in the central part of the country. Before the onset of the new year, 27 cases were recorded, and by January 5, 59 people sought medical help.

The center of the disease almost immediately called the city market, which sells seafood, poultry and animal meat, including exotic ones. However, due to the relatively small number of victims, it was initially believed that the disease was not transmitted from person to person: a large-scale epidemic was not expected, tourists and local residents were not limited in their movements.

Since then, however, there have been significantly more cases, the geography of the spread of the virus has also seriously expanded. Together with those who came from Wuhan, he reached not only other provinces and large Chinese cities (Beijing, Shanghai), but also Thailand, Japan, South Korea and even the United States . Cases have been reported in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and several people in the Philippines and Australia are also suspected. Later, information appeared about a possible illness in Russia.

By January 22, 455 cases of the disease have already been confirmed, including among doctors, several dozen people are in serious condition. At the same time, fatal cases were recorded - 17 of those infected died.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese scientists now claim that the virus can be transmitted from person to person to a limited extent. Most likely, wild animals became the source of the new outbreak.

Specialists fear a sharp increase in the number of cases. And scientists at the Center for Global Analysis of Infectious Diseases at Imperial College London came to the conclusion that the potential number of people who could become infected with a new type of virus can be about 1.7 thousand people.

What did you find out about the virus?

The main symptom in patients is fever, some also have fatigue, dry cough and shortness of breath. According to WHO, chest x-ray shows an invasive lesion in both lungs. At the same time, such data are based on a survey of hospitalized patients: it is possible that there are infected people who have not manifested such symptoms.

Chinese scientists were able to find out that the cause of the disease was a new, previously unknown coronavirus. It is called 2019-nCoV.

Scientists sequenced the genome of the virus and compared it with previously known ones, including SARS and MERS, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. As a result, it was found that the new virus in its genetic structure is more than 70 percent similar to SARS-CoV. In particular, 2019-nCoV has fully retained one of the five key SARS sites, and the other four have changes.

In addition, it turned out that the new coronavirus retained the same receptor (ACE2), and therefore it acts similarly, which is important for the treatment of infected people. It was also found that 2019-nCoV “looks clinically milder”: its ability to infect may be less than that of SARS, as well as the severity of symptoms and mortality.

The similarity also allowed scientists to suggest that bats are the source of the virus. It is noted that they are generally carriers of many coronaviruses, and one of them probably mutated and was transmitted to humans. At the same time, it is indicated that there could be several intermediate hosts in this chain.

Currently, it is believed that the pathogen could be located not only in the market, but also somewhere else in the city. This is due to the fact that the Wuhan market, where the first cases were working or purchased, was closed on January 1, but people continued to become infected. At the same time, scientists note that low mortality rates are good news at the moment.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that infect humans, cats, birds, dogs, cattle, and pigs. They are able to provoke damage to the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract and nervous system. Such a virus was first isolated in 1965 in a patient with acute rhinitis. WHO notes that new coronaviruses periodically appear in various areas around the world, and some of the known ones are observed only in animals. The level of danger they pose to humans can vary as they spread and mutate.

World Quarantine

There is currently concern that the spread of 2019-nCoV will increase as hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens travel across the country due to the Spring Festival - Chinese New Year on the lunar calendar. People are actively purchased in local markets and travel not only throughout the country, but also abroad. In fact, this is the largest annual population migration. Under such conditions, the spread of the virus can be explosive.

The National Health Commission of China classifies 2019-nCoV as a Class B infectious disease - SARS-CoV is in the same group. At the same time, more serious measures are used to combat its spread, which are usually used for class A diseases like cholera or plague. Patients are isolated, doctors identify people with whom the sick have contacted. The Chinese authorities are also in contact with foreign partners, and the media is stepping up public awareness efforts.

Iran recognized responsibility for the death of Ukrainian Boeing

The General Staff of the Iranian army said that the plane was indeed shot down, but this was an accident. The accident occurred when the plane approached the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) facility near the airport. Tehran assured that those responsible for the incident will be transferred to the court. The Iranian armed forces also promised to reform the army so that "a repetition of such mistakes in the future" was ruled out.

“The armed forces in their internal investigation concluded that the missiles were launched because of human error. (...) We continue to clarify the circumstances of the incident, ”said President Hassan Rouhani.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif expressed his condolences to all the victims. He added that the United States, which allowed the deterioration of the situation in the region, was partly to blame for the incident. “Human error during the crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster. (...) We deeply regret it, ”he wrote on his Twitter.

The IRGC claimed responsibility for the death of the liner

Amir Ali Hadzhizade, the commander of the Aerospace Forces of the Space Forces at the press conference, stated that the downed Ukrainian plane was mistaken for a cruise missile located at a distance of 19 kilometers. The commander said that the aircraft was sent a request from the air defense forces, but there was no answer.

In addition, the military did not receive a clear explanation from the command about further actions - the cause could be electronic interference. As a result, the decision to launch a rocket at a suspicious object was made after 10 seconds.

According to Hajizade, the IRGC informed the country's leadership about the incident on January 8th. However, the General Staff of the armed forces decided not to tell the truth about the incident immediately.

He added that the IRGC was expecting a full-scale war with the United States, and flights were not suspended due to the fact that "this must be done by the relevant authorities." At the same time, the president of Ukraine’s International Airlines, Yevhen Dykhne, said that the company had no reason to cancel the Boeing 737-800 flight: neither Kiev nor Tehran prohibited the flight.

Ukraine and Canada demanded to continue the investigation

“Morning today was not good, but brought the truth. Even before the end of the work of the international commission, Iran pleaded guilty to the downing of a Ukrainian plane. We insist on full admission of guilt, ”Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky wrote on Facebook .

He added that Kiev is counting on Tehran’s participation in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible. Ukraine also expects compensation and official apologies through diplomatic channels. “We hope that the investigation will continue in the future without artificial delays and obstacles. Our 45 specialists should get full access and interaction to establish justice, ”said the Ukrainian leader.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also called for further investigation. “Our priority remains full clarity through transparency and justice. We want families and friends of the victims to find peace again, ”he wrote on Twitter .

Trudeau emphasized that Canada will continue to work on the investigation of the disaster. He added that the Canadian government hopes for Iran’s full cooperation.