Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Be alert! The virus hurts...

Abdulaziz-Al-Jahdhami
Abdulaziz-Al-Jahdhami
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Safety is not just a slogan, it is a way of life and staying healthy comes as a priority in one’s life, of course. It is an essential part of growing up and being safe for it affects you physically and emotionally. Hence, it is very important to always be cautious, aware and serious especially when it comes to maintaining our health and hygiene. With today’s emergence of the threatening viruses and infectious diseases, one has to be extra vigilant and sanitised. As it has been said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.


Infectious or contagious diseases are usually caused by microscopic germs, some of which are bacteria or viruses, that get into the body and cause health problems. Some of such diseases spread directly from one person to another, while some others spread to people from an animal or an insect, but are not contagious from another human. Contagious diseases such as flu, colds, or strep throat spread from person to person in several ways.


One way is through direct physical contact, like touching or close contact to a person who has the infection. Another way is when an infectious microbe travels through the air after someone nearby sneezes or coughs. Sometimes people get contagious diseases by touching or using something an infected person has touched or used, like sharing a straw with someone who has mono or stepping into the shower after someone who has athlete’s foot.


A case in a point with regard to this is the spread of coronavirus all over the world, which was first reported from Wuhan in China, on December 31, 2019. According to the statistics shown on CNN Health website on March 14 and referred to World Health Organization (WHO), authorities in 132 countries and territories have reported more than 142,000 novel coronavirus cases worldwide since the first cases reported to WHO in December.


Coronavirus is characterised as a pandemic, which is a global outbreak of disease. Usually, pandemics happen when a new virus emerges to infect people and can spread between people sustainably. It gets so because there is little to no pre-existing immunity against the new virus, so it spreads worldwide. What a petty indeed; the disease is becoming a threat to many people around the world as some countries lost control.


In the Sultanate, 20 cases have been reported by the Ministry of Health with 9 cases have already recovered. We wish quick recovery for the rest and hopefully, there would be no more cases. The number of cases is badly threatening in some countries; we hope that countries shall join forces to combat this deadly virus. As China has come towards overcoming this disease and started supporting other countries, its expertise shall be sought after to help the world.


On the other hand, as this global issue is getting serious every day, people are being encouraged to stay at home as much as possible as a way to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. However, still, most of us still need to get out some, to commute to work, go to doctor’s visits, or just go to a grocery for shopping. How worried do you need to be when going out?! What steps can you take to protect yourself when you do? In a bid to protect ourselves against coronavirus, one has to be aware of the basic protective measures against the new virus. In addition to the well-known and communicated measures by healthcare authorities and bodies locally and internationally, other personal initiatives shall be taken into account. To name a few, people should avoid social gatherings as much as possible. Likewise, they should void hand-shaking, close contact and unnecessary visits to public places, malls and other areas. Never gamble with your health and safety! One should remember that from the bitterness of diseases, man learns the sweetness of health.


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