4 things to know about coronavirus according to ECU expert

Dr. Rachel Roper, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at East Carolina University, was part of the team that first isolated, sequenced and analyzed the genome for SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), a coronavirus, during an outbreak in 2003.

A new coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China has made its way to other countries, including the United States, and is making headlines. Roper breaks down what you need to know about the latest virus.

• Coronavirus is a family of viruses that includes SARS, MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and the common cold. Coronaviruses can affect humans and animals.
• It can cause respiratory symptoms including runny nose, coughing and difficulty breathing. The latest virus causes fever and might be misdiagnosed as influenza. Roper says the current coronavirus is killing people by causing pneumonia.

Roper: “We don’t know how bad it’s going to get, how contagious it is at this point, how many Americans will end up getting it, so we should be preparing. There is no way to predict with a new virus what’s going to happen with it.”

• Protect yourself by avoiding crowds, washing your hands and using hand sanitizer. Avoid traveling to China, especially the city of Wuhan where there is an outbreak, and any other country where an outbreak is occurring.

Roper: “Viruses don’t care about making us sick. They care about two things – replicating and spreading to a host to survive. Washing your hands is a fantastic way to get viruses off of them. When you come back from school or shopping, any public area, just wash your hands with soap and water.”

• Supporting research is key to developing techniques to limit the spread of coronavirus and to protecting ourselves.

Roper: “Support research — it’s the only defense we have now. Finding out how the virus replicates and spreads, what vaccines work the best, what anti-viral drugs we can develop is the best fight against viruses.” 

To learn more about coronaviruses, listen to Roper’s interview on ECU’s “Talk Like a Pirate” podcast.

Dr. Rachel Roper was part of the team that first isolated, sequenced and analyzed the genome for SARS, a coronavirus, during an outbreak in 2003. (File photo)

More about our expert:

Roper was the program director for the British Columbia SARS Accelerated Vaccine Initiative and was federally funded for SARS research. She was part of the team that first analyzed and sequenced the SARS coronavirus genome, published about it and headed vaccine trials. She is one of the inventors on the SARS genome patent. Her research focuses on how viruses cause disease and how viruses can be designed to create vaccines against numerous diseases including cancer. She is currently centering her research on poxviruses.

Media may contact ECU New Services 252-328-6481 or ECUNews@ecu.edu for interview requests.