Photo/Illutration An electron microscope image of the coronavirus (Provided by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

Got the sniffles and feeling out of sorts? It may not mean you have the coronavirus that is beginning to rage across Japan.

The problem is trying to determine if fever and prolonged coughing are signs of influenza, the common cold or something more serious.

Health experts say one possible sign of coronavirus infection is an extended period in which a person displays such symptoms.

Nobuhiko Okabe, director-general of the Kawasaki City Institute for Public Health who is also an infectious disease expert, suggests that if such symptoms persist for four or five days, it likely signals that a common cold or influenza may not be the cause.

“If the symptoms are stable, it would be more beneficial to spend that period at home,” Okabe said.

Given that there currently is no effective cure for the coronavirus, going to a medical institution will not help relieve symptoms as long as signs of discomfort stay the same. In fact doing so could risk infecting senior citizens and others with pre-existing health conditions who already are being treated.

If staying at home seems to be the best possible option, Yoshinobu Okuno, a professor of medicine who specializes in virology and heads the Osaka Institute of Public Health, suggests holing up in a room separate from other family members.

“The same towel should not be shared with other family members,” Okuno said. “The room should be well-ventilated and kept humidified.”

In the event the symptoms do not improve or if there is a genuine fear of coronavirus infection due to worsening symptoms, local public health offices should be alerted. They have special phone consultation centers for those who have returned from abroad or come into close contact with people who were infected.

The hotlines enable those on duty to arrange for admission to medical institutions that specialize in out-patient care for those who have returned from overseas or come in close contact with infected patients.

The medical institutions that specialize in such out-patient care are not openly disclosed due to a panic that occurred in 2009 when a new influenza epidemic struck Japan. When the names were divulged then, sick people inundated the facilities and made it difficult for them to provide adequate care to those at most risk.

Related News