As the recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic spreads, normal life has been greatly altered, with the stock market falling and unemployment claims increasing to 33%. Caused by the SARS-CoV-2 strain, the pandemic began in Wuhan, Hubei, China at the turn of the decade and rapidly spread to over 50 countries, with more than a million cases and close to 64,000 dead. However, this pandemic is not entirely unique, with past coronavirus outbreaks showing many similarities to the current pandemic.
In 2003, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak began in Guangdong, China and originated from what was thought to be either laboratory accidents or animal-to-human transmission from civet cats infected by bats. The SARS-CoV strain then transmitted to humans, infecting over 8,000 people at a 10% death rate. The outbreak lasted for a year, spreading to 26 countries mostly by human-to-human transmission and showed symptoms of fever, headache, shivering, malaise, muscle pain, cough, shortness of breath, and diarrhea. The condition of the people who were infected would rapidly deteriorate and often, they would experience respiratory distress, requiring intensive care. Though lacking antivirals or vaccines for treatment, the outbreak was eventually controlled through the use of proper infection control and quarantines.
A photo of a ventilator, which was used to treat symptoms of the SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV viruses and is currently in high demand.
Image Source: Polina Petrenko
A similar situation occurred with the 2012 Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak, when the MERS-CoV virus spread to humans in Saudi Arabia from what was thought to be dromedary camels, which were infected by bats. Unlike SARS, human-to-human transmission was rare and the numbers infected were much lower, with 2,500 infected. However, the overall death rate was much higher at 34% with 861 dead, and the disease infected a total of 28 countries. MERS-CoV, unlike other coronaviruses, immediately produced proteins to delay immune response, allowing for the infection to quickly progress, and caused symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, pneumonia, and diarrhea. Similar to COVID-19, patients with underlying health conditions could suffer from respiratory failure and require mechanical ventilation. MERS was controlled by implementing safe hygiene standards, especially around dromedary camels, and avoiding uncooked/unpasteurized animal products. A cure or vaccine for the disease is currently being developed.
Unlike SARS and MERS, the COVID-19 death rate remains relatively low (around 2%). However, its quick human-to-human transmission spells the death of thousands of people. Currently, governments all over the world have taken measures altering daily life, with Italy placing lockdowns in its major cities and universities in the U.S. switching to online classes. However, as the virus continues to spread, governments need to look into previous coronavirus outbreaks and develop more effective methods of controlling the pandemic.
Feature Image Source: © Alexander Ozerov / Adobe Stock.
