COVID-19 OVERVIEW AND HEALTH PROTOCOL ADVICE

Viral diseases continue to emerge posing a serious public health issue (WHO). There has been Epidemic cases with unexplained LRTI in the last 20 years. Some initially classified as "pneumonia of unknown etiology.“ The etiology of this illness was attributed to a novel virus belonging to the coronavirus (CoV) family. In January 30, 2020 the outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) as it had spread to 18 countries with four countries reporting human-to-human transmission. In Feb 11, 2020 disease was described as "COVID-19”. All these information was in the healthy domain, but not the public. The government of Kenya saw it important to sensitize the non-healthcare staff through a training, hence the genesis of this paper. The training covered etiology, Zoonotic diseases and human spread, modes of transmission and incubation period of COVID-19. The most up-to-date source for the epidemiology of this emerging pandemic as highlighted by WHO and The Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering site for Coronavirus Global Cases COVID-19. Was referenced. Pathophysiology, how the body reacts to the virus, General signs /symptoms and Risk factors for severe disease was shared by the participants. Historical Perspective including Global Situation and the Kenyan Situation. What followed was National vaccination campaigns for everybody and community advise on how to Protect oneself against infections and curb spread. Health protocol advise for COVID-19 is “ Avoid touching MEN ( Mouth Eyes and Nose) , instead follow WOMEN ( Wash your hands/sanitize, Obey social distance, Mask up correctly, Exercice and Eat well, No unnecessary crowding). Non- compliance of this advice is punishable by court of law of Kenya.

Author(s): Mary Stella Wabwoba

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