Authors : Ajit D. Gaikwad
Page Nos : 132-137
Description :
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) DISEASE (COVID-19). The current outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) got reported first from Wuhan, China, on 31 December 2019. A novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is a global dramatic pandemic that is immeasurably impacting our communities. Considering massive health and economic burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, any means by which to improve the condition of patients to accelerate recovery and to reduce the risk of deterioration and death would be considered of significant clinical and economical importance. In the absence of approved marketed drugs against coronaviruses, the treatment and management of this novel CoV disease (COVID-19) worldwide is a challenge. Vitamin D is an immune-modulator, acting through the innate immune cells called dendritic cells as well as the adaptive T cells. This leads to higher clearance of the virus from the body as well as suppression of the inflammatory responses which lead to symptomatic illness. Direct virus-targeted antiviral agents target specific nucleic acid or proteins of the virus while host-based antivirals target either the host innate immune responses or the cellular machineries that are crucial for viral infection. Both the approaches necessarily interfere with viral pathogenesis. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has once again exposed the weaknesses of global health systems preparedness, ability to respond to an infectious threat, the rapidity of transmission of infections across international borders and the ineffectiveness of knee- jerk policy responses to emerging/re-emerging infectious disease threats. The study concludes with the key learning points from the ongoing efforts to prevent and contain COVID-19 and identifies the need to invest in health systems, role of Vitamin D as an Immuno-modulator and the need for preparedness and global health security.
