General, Research, Technology

# video | Malaria Cure Has Been Effective Against Coronavirus

While the new 2019-nCoV coronavirus is stridingplanet, scientists are developing an effective drug to combat the disease. However, in the best case scenario, a coronavirus vaccine will appear no sooner than in a year, since its development and testing take a lot of time. The situation is complicated by the fact that viral diseases such as acute respiratory viral infections and influenza are not treated with simple antiviral drugs. So, in order not to get the flu, you need to undergo annual vaccination, and ARVI treatment is aimed at symptoms, and not the pathogen itself. For this reason, information that Chinese researchers have found that the antimalarial drug chloroquine is effective against coronavirus looks sensational. But how is this possible?

In China, every possible effort is fighting the spread of coronavirus

Chinese researchers found thatthe antimalarial drug chloroquine can effectively inhibit a new coronavirus infection in vitro, that is, outside the human body. Researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology reported the results in the journal Cell Research. According to a published study, scientists evaluated the antiviral efficacy of seven drugs in the laboratory.

Chloroquine is known to be widely used.a drug against malaria and autoimmune diseases - it blocks viral infections by altering the acidity inside the cells and acting on the receptors of the Coronavirus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), an outbreak of which occurred in 2003. Let me remind you that the SARS genome is almost 80% similar to the 2019-nCoV genome. The study was conducted on Vero E6 cells, which are derived from the kidneys of an African green monkey. These mammals most often become subjects in studies in the field of microbiology and molecular and cellular biology.

Disinfection is carried out at airports, railway stations and other public places

Chloroquine also demonstrates immunomodulatoryactivity, which can enhance its antiviral effect in vivo. Meanwhile, as the researchers note, after oral administration, chloroquine is widely distributed throughout the body, including the lungs. Moreover, chloroquine is a cheap and safe drug that has been used for over 70 years. Potentially, it is clinically applicable against the new coronavirus. As the situation in China worsens day by day, chloroquine and some other antiviral drugs, as well as some traditional Chinese medicines containing active antiviral ingredients, were selected as candidates for further research in search of an effective drug against the new coronavirus.

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What measures are the Chinese authorities taking against 2019-nCoV?

According to official figures, as of 6February 2018, the number of coronavirus infected in China is more than 28 thousand people, and at least 565 people became victims of the virus. The virus broke out of the country and today official cases are registered in more than 24 countries of the world. The first coronavirus death outside of China is in the Philippines. In addition to introducing unprecedented quarantine, the Chinese authorities are carrying out large-scale disinfection throughout the country. Surely you saw shots from Shanghai and other cities where special vehicles and people in protective suits spray gaseous white matter.

However, what exactly does the authorities disinfect the streets withis unknown. It is reported that during disinfection with the help of special equipment, citizens are forbidden to go outside. One way or another, the infection spread throughout the country, and shots from the Middle Kingdom more closely resemble shots from post-apocalyptic films. And what do you think, what means are used during disinfection? Share your opinion in the comments and with the participants of our Telegram chat