Earlier this week the World Health Organisation (WHO) dubbed the coronavirus disease as COVID-19, which stands for Corona Virus Disease 19.
So why did WHO change the name?…… because it’s in their guidelines.
It’s not the first time WHO has changed the name of a disease, for example they stopped using the term ‘swine flu’ and called it influenza A (H1N1).
Coronaviruses are a big group of viruses that cause illnesses such as the common cold or more recent diseases including SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS.
The viruses are named for the corona, or crown, of surface proteins that the virus uses to penetrate the cells of its host.
Simply, COVID-19 is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans, so it’s only fitting that this particular strain has its own name.
ABC News recently posted an article discussing why it’s important that coronavirus was given an official name, for further information follow the link below.
Story Source:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-14/why-whos-official-name-for-the-coronavirus-matters/11964176
