Naperville Recommends 'Prevention Measures' Against Coronavirus

NAPERVILLE, IL — Naperville city officials recently released an update advising residents to take "prevention measures" against coronavirus. In the meantime, the city says it continues to work with federal and state partners to keep an eye on the "worldwide outbreak of coronavirus," which has now been confirmed in at least four people throughout Illinois.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, called SARS-Cov-2, emerged in China in late 2019 and is related to other strains that have caused serious illnesses in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 and no antiviral treatment.

The lack of an available vaccination is part of the reason Naperville officials recommend taking preventive measures to prevent the transmission of the disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some of these preventive measures include:

• Staying home when ill
• Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue
• Washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Using hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol
• Avoiding touching your face, eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoiding close contact with sick people
• Cleaning surfaces and objects that are touched frequently

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