Battle to contain coronavirus is starting in the U.S
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - The battle to contain the coronavirus is only starting in the U.S.
We can do our part to keep the emerging public health threat to a minimum.
According to the CDC, there are only 59 cases of the virus in the U.S. but more patients are likely to be identified in the coming days.
"The coronavirus is really going to be a big issue here in the United States at some point.
"Right now it is mostly in Asia, and it seems to be getting out the reports of some outbreaks in Italy, and a few other places in the world," said Richard Nathan infectious disease specialist.
The big question on everyone's mind is how can we avoid being at risk.
"I think what they should do right now is work on their regular medical health, if they have any respiratory problems like asthma, they should have their medications to up. So if they're using let's say an albuterol inhaler more than a couple times a week, they should get that their medications adjusted," said Nathan.
Doctors say it's important for those with respiratory problems to be vaccinated for both influenza and pneumonia, and have all of your medical needs looked at for the time being.
"So we're getting more information all the time. There are tremendous amounts of research around the world looking at this, also in Italy we're getting will be getting some new data, Korea we're getting some new data. Right now it looks like older people are more susceptible middle-aged to older people younger people are having a more mild course of the disease," Nathan said.
So protection and precaution is still the best weapon to fight any virus going around.
"We have major outbreaks all around us in our surrounding states, and we're seeing a lot of activity, regionally, with influenza b, in particular, I think that it's still not too late to get vaccinated for influenza. And if you start getting symptoms, particularly if you have some health concerns, such as asthma, diabetes or other medical problems, really see speak to your provider," Nathan said.
