AN EPIDEMIC is a disease that affects a large number of people within a community, population, or region. A PANDEMIC is an epidemic that’s spread over multiple countries or continents. ENDEMIC is something that belongs to a particular people or country.
Thus COVID 19 is named as a pandemic disease affecting the whole population of the world.
Coronavirus are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from common cold to more severe disease. It’s a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS co2).
These are variable but often include fever, cough, headache, fatigue, breathing difficulties and loss of smell and taste, nasal congestion, runny nose, muscular pain, sore throat, diarrhoea.
There are three clusters of symptoms
1. Respiratory cluster
- Shortness of breath
2. Musculoskeletal cluster
- Muscular pain
- Joint pain
3. Digestive cluster
- Abdominal pain
Symptoms may begin 1-14 days after exposure to the virus.
At least 1/3 of people who are infected do not develop noticeable symptoms, 84% of people mild to moderate symptoms, whereas 14% develop severe symptoms like dyspnoea, hypocrisy involving more than 50% of lungs and 5% suffer critical symptoms including respiratory failure, shock or multi organs failure.
Older people are at higher risk of developing several symptoms. Some people continue to experience a range of effects for months after recovering and may cause damage to organs.
It occurs when exposed to a virus containing respiratory droplets exhaled by an infected person. Those droplets may be inhaled or may reach the mouth, nose, or eyes of a person through touching or direct disposition like cough sneezing. The risk of infection is highest when people are in close proximity for a long time but droplets can be inhaled over longer distances particularly indoors in poorly ventilated and crowded spaces. Touching a contaminated surface or objects may lead to infection. People who are infected can transmit the virus to another person up-to 2days before they themselves show symptoms as can people who do not develop symptoms. People remain infectious for 10days after the onset of symptoms in moderate cases and up-to 20days in severe cases.
The standard diagnostic method is by detection of virus nucleic acid by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. (RT-PCR), transcription mediated amplification (TMA), or by reverse transcription loop mediated isothermal amplification. (RT-LAMP) from nasopharyngeal swab.
Includes physical and social distancing, quarantine, ventilation of indoor spaces, covering cough and sneezing, hand washing and keeping unwashed hands away from the face. The use of masks or covering has been recommended in public settings to minimize the risk of transmission.
The concept of Genus epidemicus comes into play in terms of Homeoprophylaxis which also acts as a curative remedy in some cases under consideration.
Three approaches of homeoprophylaxis may be used to select the remedy for prophylaxis of a prevailing epidemic – Constitutional Approach, Genus epidemicus remedies and Nosode Prophylaxis.
1. Constitutional treatment is based on examination of the constitution, diathesis, temperament and predispositions of the patient to remove the susceptibility of being affected by infectious acute miasms. The chronic remedy provides the best general protection from all diseases and it removes the greatest number of predispositions.
2. Genus epidemicus remedies and nosodes are used to provide specific prophylaxis. When epidemic diseases threaten the population, specific prophylactic remedies can be applied immediately. The selection of a genus epidemicus is as per the indications in totality of symptoms revealed after study of several cases in the epidemic and nosodes can only be used when the cause of the disease is known.
- Arsenic album: Anxiety, restlessness mentally, fear of disease, thirstlessness, dryness of mouth, oppression on chest, gastritis, body aches, depression
- Rhus Tox: Physical restlessness, joints pain, Agg first motion,rest after, change of temperature ameol by continuous motion muscular pains
- Nux vomica: Indigestion heaviness of abdomen, Agg overeating, anxious, fastidious, sore throat
- Gels: Anticipatory symptoms, dullness, drowsiness, headache, weakness, body aches