GLOSARIO

Glossary on COVID-19

Pandemic, SARS, contagion curve, patient zero ... We review the terms that appear continuously in the news and that are essential to better understand all the information related to the virus that has put half the world in check.

Antibiotics. They are those effective drugs against bacterial infections. The coronavirus is caused by a virus, so antibiotics are not helpful in fighting this disease.

Flatten the curve. The objective to fight the coronavirus is to reduce the number of those infected. The curve of the contagion graph flattens when the number of infected people stops growing and something like a 'plateau' is drawn. It is the graphic way of seeing that over a period of time, the number of infections is maintained and does not increase, which means that the speed of infection is slower and, therefore, the upward trend has been slowed. This is what was achieved in China in its fight against Covid-19 quickly by opting for extremely restrictive mobility measures.

Coronavirus. They are a large family of viruses that can cause disease in both animals and humans. In humans, all viruses in this family are known to cause respiratory infections, which can range from a normal cold to serious illness, such as SARS, MERS, or Covid-19. The first time this type of virus was discussed was in the journal Nature on November 16, 1968. The researchers called it a 'coronavirus' because the virus's shape under the microscope was similar to that of the solar corona.

Covid-19. As defined by the WHO, "It is the most recently discovered infectious disease caused by coronavirus. Both the new virus and the disease were unknown before the outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019." The lexical origin of Covid-19 comes from 'co', in allusion to the solar corona form of the virus, 'vi' corresponds to the word virus and 'd' refers to disease ("disease" in English). Finally it was put number 19 for the year it was detected in humans.

Quarantine. It is a preventive isolation for a certain time in order to avoid the spread of certain diseases. It does not have to be exactly 40 days.

Contagion curve. It is the graph that crosses the number of cases with the time during which the disease spreads, thus measuring the speed with which the virus is being spread. If the number of cases rises very quickly in a short time, the line of the graph is increasingly vertical, indicating a high number of infections in a very short time.

Zoonotic diseases. They are the diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans and that are caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi. They are transmitted by direct contagion with the sick animal and through some body fluid such as urine or saliva, or by the presence of an intermediate animal, such as a mosquito in the case of malaria. They can also be transmitted when consuming animal products that have not passed the corresponding sanitary controls, or by consuming poorly washed fruits and vegetables.

Epidemic. It is a disease that spreads in a country for a certain time and that simultaneously affects a large number of people. It draws the attention of health authorities because it spreads suddenly, very quickly, and affects many more people than normal compared to other diseases.

State of alarm. In Spain, it is declared throughout the country (or part of it) by a decree of the council of ministers in the case of calamities, public misfortunes such as floods, earthquakes or health crises such as the one we live through because of the coronavirus. This provision allows limiting the free movement of people, intervening industries, temporarily requisitioning goods, and limiting or rationing services or the consumption of basic necessities.

Disinfectant hydroalcoholic gel. It is a liquid or gel solution with a high percentage of alcohol (between 60 and 95%) and that allows to quickly disinfect the skin. Although it is a good alternative if you do not have soap and water to wash your hands, it should be borne in mind that they do not have the same effectiveness in getting rid of the coronavirus.

Spanish flu. It was a pandemic of unusual severity that occurred during the First World War in 1918 and is estimated to have killed 20 to 40 million people in a year, including young people and children. It originated in the United States but received the name of 'Spanish flu' because it was Spain that, not being among the countries at war, reported the most about this disease and without censorship.

Pandemic. As established by the WHO, the worldwide rapid spread of a new disease is called a pandemic. What differentiates the epidemic is the degree to which cases increase and its international reach. The WHO declared the pandemic when the coronavirus spread across six continents and infections were certified in more than 100 countries across the globe.

SARS. They are an acronym for the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Syndrome Acute Respiratory Syndrome) also caused by a type of coronavirus other than COVID-19, COVID-2. SARS originated in the Chinese region of Guangzhou in 2003 and spread to two dozen countries in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. The virus infected 8,422 people and 916 people died.