Novel Coronavirus is a type of virus that affects respiratory systems of mammal. This kind of virus affects human when they come in contact with infected animal. However, this is the first outbreak of Novel Coronavirus in humans, which is not common. Before this, other two species—SARS coronavirus, and MERS coronavirus were reported in humans. Novel coronavirus (nCoV-2019) is a new species of coronavirus.

Symptoms of Coronavirus infection include fever, cough, breathing problems and fatigue. In severe cases, this infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

This zoonotic infection (transferred from animal to human) was first reported in Wuhan province of China last December.  In just two months, the virus has engulfed entire China and is spreading like a wild fire where it has been seen in 23 countries across the globe. Death troll due to the virus has reached more than 1000 in the mainland and 43,090 people are reportedly infected worldwide.

The outbreak of this coronavirus has raised global concern regarding safety and precautions, and treatment. These precautious people might unknowingly get stuck reading corona fiction and any bad advice regarding this infection can drag you into unnecessary stress.

Here, Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, Chief of Clinical Research Unit at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Kathmandu has debunked some common myths regarding Novel coronavirus and three ways to prevent the infection: