The World Health Organization (WHO) is continuously tracking global health shifts and challenges that arise around the world. One of the health crises that appeared recently is a novel coronavirus. The World Health Organization has recently declared a coronavirus to be “a global health emergency” (“Coronavirus declared global health emergency,” 2020, para. 1). This essay will summarize WHO’s findings on the disease and discuss two initiatives within the scope of nursing science that may help to mitigate this crisis.
The emerging coronavirus that can be spread by human-to-human transmission as other respiratory diseases poses a significant threat to the world. According to WHO, on the date of 30th of January 2020, there are 170 death cases among 7711 confirmed cases of the disease in China (“Statement on the second meeting,” 2020). The spread of the illness is fast, and there appeared 83 cases in 18 countries outside China. WHO, in cooperation with other countries, is trying to contain the disease to avoid further dissemination and decrease the mortality rate from it.
There can be proposed realistic and achievable initiatives within the scope of nursing science that may help to tackle this crisis. Firstly, according to other coronavirus research, nurses should help in the prevention of disease spread by managing information properly. Nurses are at the front of the fight; therefore, nurses should establish guidelines, such as hand washing rules, and educate people about the causes and effects of the illness (Stirling, Harmston, & Alsobayel, 2015).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US also highlight that patient care is highly dependent on nurses’ knowledge about contagious respiratory infections (McNeil, 2020). Thus, it is possible to establish an initiative on tracking materials and devices, such as masks and thermometers, in one system online or offline. Nurses’ efforts to change medical appliances that become non-sterile may substantially improve the situation.
To make a conclusion, one might say that coronavirus that appeared recently is similar to other diseases that emerged several years ago due to peer-to-peer transmission. The collaboration of medical specialists, patients, and authorities may help to contain the illness and avoid deaths. Novel coronavirus may be reduced by proper initiatives based on science if nurses will implement their knowledge and high standards of work.
References
Coronavirus declared global health emergency by WHO. (2020). Web.
McNeil, D. (2020). Mask hoarders may raise risk of a coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. Web.
Stirling, B., Harmston, J., & Alsobayel, H. (2015). An educational programme for nursing college staff and students during a MERS- coronavirus outbreak in Saudi Arabia. BMC Nursing, 14(20). Web.