Now the world community has come face to face with a common enemy – a dangerous virus that has made the population of the entire planet tremble. Now people are more than ever prone to panic moods, when any sneeze can terrify a person and convince them to diagnose themselves with a dangerous disease. Anxiety about one’s own health is certainly justified, but it is still very important to remain calm, because a person’s immunity depends, among other things, on his psychological state. As a rule, we are afraid of what we do not know. To eliminate the ignorance factor, let’s look at what a virus is and what is the peculiarity of its structure and life?
This non-cellular life form is composed of nucleic acid (RNA or DNA), proteins, and a shell. When it enters the human respiratory system, the virus interacts with cells, as a result of which the genetic material of the virus enters them. At the same time, all the processes of cell vital activity are controlled by the invader’s genome. Using its resources, the virus creates its components, “self-assembles” and leaves the depleted cell to capture the next one. As a result, the cells of the respiratory tract die massively, clinical symptoms of the disease and general intoxication appear.
SARS (acute respiratory viral infections) is the general name for a large group of infections transmitted by airborne droplets. About 250 viruses can cause SARS. The most extensive genus of viruses is rhinoviruses. To date, it includes 113 serotypes. It is believed that this genus of viruses in fifty percent of cases is the cause of colds in adults, and it is he who, as a rule, is implied when making a diagnosis of SARS.
Influenza viruses also belong to SARS, however, due to their ability to cause outbreaks of diseases – epidemics and pandemics, they have long been perceived as a separate unit along with other acute respiratory viral infections. The uniqueness of this virus lies in the ability to constantly change its structure.
The coronavirus family is also SARS. It includes respiratory and enteric human and animal coronaviruses. The infectious disease COVID-19, which caused a pandemic in 2020, is caused by a new and unexplored type of coronavirus. Presumably, humans contracted it from animals.
All of these respiratory viruses cause a fairly similar clinical picture, but there are still a number of distinguishing features that are characteristic of each of the infections.
For example, with influenza, the severity of symptoms occurs acutely, with COVID-19 and other acute respiratory viral infections, the symptoms increase gradually. Fever is not typical for ARVI, while with influenza and COVID-19 it often manifests itself, along with cough and weakness. Also, the most common symptom of COVID-19 is shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, as opposed to a runny nose and sneezing.
The website of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation contains Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute respiratory viral infections (https://static-0.rosminzdrav.ru/system/attachments/attaches/000/050/033/original/RESP_REC_V2.pdf). In addition to the detailed characteristic properties of COVID-19, influenza and other acute respiratory viral infections, there are schemes for prescribing antiviral drugs for emergency prevention, as well as for various forms of influenza and acute respiratory viral infections. In addition, drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 are indicated. It has been clinically proven that the start of treatment within 48 hours from the onset of the first symptoms of SARS provides a shorter and milder course of the disease.
The list of drugs developed by a group of leading Russian scientists and clinicians included the following with active ingredients: umifenovir, zanamivir, enisamia iodide, riamilovir, oseltamivir and others. Most of them can be easily purchased at pharmacies. One of the effective antiviral drugs – Nobasit, has no analogues in the Russian pharmacology market in terms of its active substance. Enisamia iodide slows down and prevents the penetration of viruses through the cell membrane, has interferogenic properties. This increases the body’s resistance to viral infections, reduces the likelihood of complications and their severity. The drug is included by the World Health Organization in the international drug classification system in the section of drugs with direct antiviral action. “Nobasit” can be purchased at an affordable price in most Russian pharmacies, as well as in online pharmacies.
Be healthy!