The Glossary of coronavirus provides basic terminology that helps define the dynamics of what may prove to be the 21st century’s first global pandemic of a disease for which to date there is no known cure.

Airborne Transmission occurs when infectious agents are carried in the air. Direct contact is not necessary for spreading the disease. Infection may be transmitted by droplets spread across long distances by coughing and sneezing.

Asymptomatic refers to a person who doesn’t appear to have symptoms. This phenomenon increases the difficulty in the diagnosis, treatment, recovery and quarantine. New evidence demonstrates that many people who are infected are considered asymptomatic which makes tracking transmission more difficult as they appear to not have symptoms.

Black Swan is an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of a situation and has potentially severe consequences. Events can cause catastrophic damage to an economy. Reliance on standard forecasting tools can both fail to predict and potentially increase vulnerability to black swans by propagating risk and offering false security.

Bats are suspected to be viral hosts that infect animals like pangolins, suspected of coronavirus spillover transmission to human hosts. China’s open air markets have live wild and domestic animals exposed to viruses transmitted by bats in areas where the wild or farm animals originated.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) serves as the United States’ health protection agency that conducts research into disease outbreaks.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a virus that broke out in China but has spread internationally, including to the United States. A protein—ACE-2 —is found on respiratory cells serves as an entry point for the COVID-19 virus. “This virus has literally only existed on planet Earth in humans for maybe two months,” said Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Coronavirus symptoms, while this highly contagious virus presents itself with flu-like symptoms (head and muscle aches, sore throat, runny nose, coughing) it is capable of causing respiratory distress, pneumonia and potentially death.

Symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as fourteen days after exposure. The viral infection enters the lungs, irritates alveoli, the tiny sacs that exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules to and from the bloodstream. Alveoli reacts to the virus by filling with fluid causing the infected person to die of respiratory failure.

Coronavirus Treatment, currently there are no vaccines or antiviral drugs to prevent or treat human coronavirus infections (COVID-19).

Epidemic is a rapid spread of infectious disease to a large number of people in a given population within a short period of time, usually two weeks or less. Disease outbreak is concentrated in a limited region.

Pandemic is the worldwide spread of a disease and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population.The CDC is “preparing as if this is the next pandemic. If we take strong measures now, we may be able to blunt the impact of the coronavirus on the United States,” said Nancy Messonnier, MD. Director, CDC.

Pangolins are the most heavily trafficked animals on Earth, for both their scales and their meat. Sold in Wuhan where the epidemic started.

Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick. This is a restriction on the movement of people to prevent the spread of disease. People may be kept in confinement or isolated in an effort to prevent disease from spreading.

World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with world public health. WHO was given a broad mandate under its constitution to promote the attainment of “the highest possible level of health” by all peoples. They are active with their global resources to manage and contain the coronavirus in China. WHO renamed the coronavirus to COVID-19.

Zoonoses are infectious diseases that spread from animals to humans.

Terms To Know: Coronavirus Outbreak