The new Coronavirus is spreading around the world, and it’s important to get informed and follow the recommendations of Health Officials to plan a trip abroad, being it for tourism purposes, to work or study.
Bringing foreign students to Brazil in this context is a major responsibility, and that is why we are attentive to the information about the diseases’ risks and prevention.
The virus’ spread is being monitored worldwide. You can check the updates for current status of COVID-19’s propagation and measures being taken worldwide to avoid the spread at the World Health Organization (WHO) situation reports.
What are the symptoms?
“The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment. Around 1 out of every 6 people who gets COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing.”
(Coronavirus at a glance: Infographic. Johns Hopkins Institute. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-facts-infographic. Access: March 03, 6:47)
The official recommendation (WHO) is to get informed by reliable sources to understanding the risks you might be exposed to. If you don’t have contact with an infected patient, or if you haven’t been in a country that has a significant spread of COVID-19, you are under low risk.
The disease can be fatal, especially to older people, or those with some kind of pre-existing conditions like: cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory disease or diabetes, lung diseases or cancer. In general, the disease causes mild to moderate illness, just like other types of flu caused by other viruses. Fatality rates depend on medical care received.
Prevention
The main prevention is to avoid close person-to-person contact, to avoid exposure to other people’s droplets into the air from sneezing or coughing. Always wash your hands and avoid touching your mucous membranes (mouth, nose, eyes).
Johns Hopkins Medicine Institute also orientates a few measures in order to protect your health from infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Download the infographic here.
How is Brazil handling the crisis?
In Brazil, the number of cases raised to 73, according to the Brazilian Health Ministry, by March 12th.
For updated numbers please consult the World Health Organization daily reports.
Only two days after the first case of the virus was confirmed in Brazil, a scientific group from Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa de São Paulo (FAPESP) – a Brazilian centre of research; sequenced the viral genome of the Coronavirus. The genome was named SARS-CoV-2, and this discovery is important for understanding how its spreading occurs, how it mutates and collaborates for the developing of diagnosis tests and vaccines.
Healthcare in Brazil is a constitutional right. It is provided by both private and government institutions. Public healthcare is provided to all Brazilian permanent residents and foreigners in Brazilian territory through the National Healthcare System, known as the Unified Health System, in Portuguese, SUS.
The Brazilian Ministry of Health has published a map listing referral hospitals for dealing with any serious cases of the new Coronavirus. These locations were chosen as a preventive measure by the local managers because they have ample capacity to serve with specialized professionals for situations of risk to public health. Any patients with severe cases of the new Coronavirus should be referred to referral hospitals defined by the states for isolation and treatment. Mild suspected cases may not require hospitalization and be followed by Primary Care and home precautionary measures instituted. However, it is necessary to evaluate each case.
The Institution also launched the “Coronavirus – SUS” APP, which provides information about COVID-19, including ways to prevent the disease, news about the virus and also addresses of health care units for those who have symptoms.
Available for Android and iOS, the government application has a map on its opening interface, which uses the user’s geolocation to display nearby health care units and hospitals. In addition, the home page has a red button with the question “are you feeling sick?”, Which brings up a list of questions that can help with a self-diagnosis of Coronavirus infection. The APP is available on Google Play or App Store
What is BE doing to support our students?
BE is prepared to support any medical issue that a student might have during a cultural exchange. We have a Health and Risk Management plan which covers information about Risk Assessment and Mitigation, Risk Management and a Communication Plan, carefully planned to address any issue that might occur and affect the student health and safety while in our program.
Students are not typically members of the population who may succumb to a virus like COVID-19. The elderly and those with compromised immune systems are more subject to risk. Still, the safety of homestays, host organizations and the communities that the students are living in are also of key importance for us.
Most of our students are placed in Curitiba, where our head office is located. The referral hospital in our city is the Hospital do Trabalhador. In addition, the city counts with a wide private service network, 111 Public Health units and 46 Hospitals.
The municipality has published a Disease Management Flow Sheet to guide health care professionals on how to deal with suspect cases.
Brazilian Experience is the main point of contact of students in case of medical issues. We offer close support, including:
- Full-time support – We are available 24/7 for any kind of emergency a student might have.
- List of professionals – We have a reliable list of bilingual health professionals ready to assist our students.
- Arrival orientation – In order to mitigate risk, during our arrival orientation we cover Risk Management measures to Prepare students to stay safe while in Brazil.
Get informed!
There are daily reports being provided about COVID-19’s spread, control and prevention.
Find some here:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html
WHO is providing courses around the subject. Find here.
Tel: +55 41 98889-7165
Skype: brazilianexperience
E-mail: info@brazilianexperience.com.br
