The World Health Organization (WHO), in cooperation with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations(FAO), has identified best practices for the naming of new human diseases, with the aim to minimize unnecessary negative effect of disease names. "We now have a name for the disease and it's COVID-19, " WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva.
COVID-I9, which has now spread to many countries, has much in common with seasonal flu. They are both viral infections(病毒感染) ,share similar symptoms and seriously can spread from human to human. In the midst of flu season in much of the northern hemisphere, telling the difference between the two will be vital in stopping its spread.
Human coronaviruses (冠状病毒), of which there are four, can cause lung problems similar to flu. However, COVID-19 is more serious than a "typical one," says Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading. “There is no antibodies (抗体) in the population so it has potential for a global spread, “warns Jones.
As with the Ebola epidemic (埃博拉病毒)，which peaked in the middle of the last decade, fears around the new coronavirus are rising due to a lack of knowledge over its nature. Medical advice is similar across those countries with confirmed cases of the infection. In many western countries, authorities are asking those who think they are infected to call an ambulance rather than visiting a hospital, where they could potentially pass on the virus. Similar advice has been issued in China and other Asian countries.
