In layman's terms, here is what you are looking at:
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> “Feeling confused as to why Coronavirus is a bigger deal than Seasonal flu? Here it is in a nutshell. I hope this helps. Feel free to share this to others who don’t understand...
> It has to do with RNA sequencing.... I.e. genetics.
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> Seasonal flu is an “all human virus”. The DNA/RNA chains that make up the virus are recognized by the human immune system. This means that your body has some immunity to it before it comes around each year... you get immunity two ways...through exposure to a virus, or by getting a flu shot.
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> Novel viruses, come from animals.... the WHO tracks novel viruses in animals, (sometimes for years watching for mutations). Usually these viruses only transfer from animal to animal (pigs in the case of H1N1) (birds in the case of the Spanish flu). But once, one of these animal viruses mutates, and starts to transfer from animals to humans... then it’s a problem, Why? Because we have no natural or acquired immunity.. the RNA sequencing of the genes inside the virus isn’t human, and the human immune system doesn’t recognize it so, we can’t fight it off.
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> Now.... sometimes, the mutation only allows transfer from animal to human, for years it’s only transmission is from an infected animal to a human before it finally mutates so that it can now transfer human to human... once that happens..we have a new contagion phase. And depending on the fashion of this new mutation, thats what decides how contagious, or how deadly it’s gonna be..
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> H1N1 was deadly....but it did not mutate in a way that was as deadly as the Spanish flu. It’s RNA was slower to mutate and it attacked its host differently, too.
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> Fast forward.
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> Now, here comes this Coronavirus... it existed in animals only, for nobody knows how long...but one day, at an animal market, in Wuhan China, in December 2019, it mutated and made the jump from animal to people. At first, only animals could give it to a person... But here is the scary part.... in just TWO WEEKS it mutated again and gained the ability to jump from human to human. Scientists call this quick ability, “slippery”
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> This Coronavirus, not being in any form a “human” virus (whereas we would all have some natural or acquired immunity). Took off like a rocket. And this was because, humans have no known immunity... doctors have no known medicines for it.
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> And it just so happens that this particular mutated animal virus, changed itself in such a way the way that it causes great damage to human lungs..
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> That’s why Coronavirus is different from seasonal flu, or H1N1 or any other type of influenza.... this one is slippery AF. And it’s a lung eater...And, it’s already mutated AGAIN, so that we now have two strains to deal with, strain s, and strain L....which makes it twice as hard to develop a vaccine.
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> We really have no tools in our shed, with this. History has shown that fast and immediate closings of public places has helped in the past pandemics. Philadelphia and Baltimore were reluctant to close events in 1918 and they were the hardest hit in the US during the Spanish Flu.
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> Factoid: Henry VIII stayed in his room and allowed no one near him, till the Black Plague passed...(honestly...I understand him so much better now). Just like us, he had no tools in his shed, except social isolation...
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> And let me end by saying....right now it’s hitting older folks harder... but this genome is so slippery...if it mutates again (and it will). Who is to say, what it will do next.
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> Be smart folks...
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> #flattenthecurve. Stay home folks... and share this to those that just are not catching on.”
Here is the "corrected version" - I tried to follow the original text as closely as possible - so it is longer than necessary to provide the basic facts - but here it is:
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Feeling confused as to why Coronavirus is a bigger deal than typical common cold and flu? Here it is in a nutshell. I hope this helps. Feel free to share this to others who don’t understand.
Seasonal cold/flu symptoms are caused by over 150 different endemic viruses including rhinoviruses, corona viruses, RSV, parainfluenza and influenza. Casually people use “cold” and “flu” interchangeably to identify a set of symptoms such as fever, cough, congestion, sneezing and runny nose caused by these viruses. Absent hospitalization for advanced illness and resulting testing the actual specific virus type cause is rarely identified.
In a clinical sense, “flu” refers specifically to infections caused by the various influenza variants that are endemic. Clinically, the rest of the 150+ viruses cause the “common cold” (although at times RSV and parainfluenza can be harsh enough to result in specific treatment and identification). The reason influenza is called out separately in this discussion is because it can have more harmful symptoms and can cause death within susceptible populations (immunosuppressed/elderly/etc). Without a specific test there is essentially no way to distinguish between the common cold (caused by the 150+ viruses) and flu.
All of these are viruses are currently understood to infect humans, but some do cross over between species – influenza most notably. All the major causes of the common cold and influenza are RNA viruses – they do not have their own DNA. This feature is a significant reason for their ability to rapidly mutate – as there are not RNA repair mechanisms comparable to DNA repair mechanisms that suppress mutation. Once inside a human cell the virus produces unique viral proteins that can be recognized by the human immune system.
If you have already had a particular virus variant, you’re your body has some immunity to it before it comes around each year, but given the large number of virus variants and the rapid mutation rate of these RNA viruses there really is no permanent “immunity” from the common cold or influenza universally. As an aside, you get immunity two ways...through exposure to a particular virus, or in the case of influenza by getting a season-specific flu shot.
Novel (or New) viruses, arise from mutation of existing viruses. One frequently identified path is from viruses in animals that mutate sufficiently to cross over and infect humans as well. The WHO tracks novel viruses, including likely candidates found in animals, (sometimes for years watching for mutations). Usually these viruses only transfer from animal to animal (pigs in the case of H1N1) (birds in the case of the Spanish flu). But once in a while, one of these animal viruses mutates, and starts to transfer from animals to humans... then it’s a problem, Why? Because we have no natural or acquired immunity.
Sometimes, the mutation that allowed for transfer from animal to human only provides limited human to human transfer. In these situations additional mutation(s) are needed to provide effective transfer human to human. Once that happens, we have a new contagion that poses a risk. And depending on the results of these mutations, contagiousness or deadliness varies.
Fast forward.
Now, here comes this particular coronavirus. While coronaviruses of various types have existed in both animals and humans for centuries, a new variant arose. Early assessments suggest this particular coronavirus variant originally existed in animals only, for nobody knows how long. - and just recently mutated sufficiently to make the leap to being a human contagion. Some speculate this happened at an animal market, in Wuhan China, in December 2019
This Coronavirus, being new to humans, took off like a rocket. And this was because, Humans had not yet developed immunity. And given it’s newness and the very limited nature of known treatments for RNA viruses, doctors have no known medicines for it.
And it just so happens that this particular virus, causes great damage to human lungs in some patients.
This corona virus is not that different than other RNA viruses including influenza – the reason this pandemic is riskier is that there is no pre-existing human population immunity and it appears to be on the virulent side.
Also, all of these RNA viruses continue to mutate. Sometimes that results in lower lethality (as the virus can live longer in its hosts if it doesn’t kill them) and sometimes higher. Sometimes the mutations can change its immune signature, sometimes they don’t. We are still a long way from understanding the path this particular virus and its mutants will take.
Most people’s natural systems successfully fight off these types of viruses, but there are those, both healthy and ill, who do not. And basic care such as ventilators, anti-biotics to reduce secondary pneumonias, experimental anti-virals are all things modern medicine is trying to help the sickest. But in the meantime, history has shown that fast and immediate closings of public places has helped in the past pandemics. One commonly cited example - Philadelphia and Baltimore were reluctant to close events in 1918 and they were the hardest hit in the US during the Spanish Flu.
And let me end by saying....right now it’s hitting older folks harder... but this genome is so slippery...if it mutates again (and it will). Who is to say what it will do next, including possibly becoming less lethal and less transmissible – or more lethal or more transmissible – no body can possibly know at this time.
Be smart folks...
#flattenthecurve. Stay home folks... and share this to those that just are not catching on.
