Saturday, February 8, 2020

Coronavirus

I haven't posted any blogposts for a while. But sometimes things happen that you want to tell the world. That keeps you awake. This time it's the Wuhan coronavirus (aka 2019-nCoV). Well this is a blog about transitioning to more sustainable mobility. Mostly about cars. Is there a link? Well, actually there is and that's exactly what I want to write about.

That Coronavirus can cause pneumonia. That's called: novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia (NCIP). And that's what kills the people that are contaminated with this virus.

Now what decides who gets pneumonia and who doesn't? Many patients have secondary conditions. Many are older people. But even seemingly healthy people can get this pneumonia and die. What they didn't tell us is that there are risk factors that can influence who can get pneumonia and who doesn't.

The #1 risk factor is smoking. Smoking kills, that's no surprise for most readers. But it also increases the risk of infections with bacteria or virusses leading to pneumonia. So if you don't want to die from this virus, then now would be a good time to stop smoking. Smoking is also the reason why more men than women get NCIP. In China by far more men than women smoke.

Research also shows that air pollution is another risk factor for developing pneumonia from infections. Not a surprise then that in Wuhan, which like many other major Chinese cities suffers from severe air pollution, this virus can be so lethal.

So we can do something about the lethality of this virus. We can stop smoking and clean up our cities. Drive cleaner vehicles for a healthier future.

Now going back to my opening sentences, you know why I needed to inform you and write this blog. Now you know, I can sleep again. Please share my post with others who may be interested in this information.