What is Coronavirus and What Should I Do if I Have Symptoms?

CoronaVirus, or COVID19, to give it its newly-coined official name, burst into the international spotlight last December 2019 when the first cases were reported in Wuhan City in China. The earliest cases appear to have been traced to the Huanan seafood wholesale market in the centre of the Chinese city. Whether the initial infection was from a worker or a customer is open to conjecture, and is by now irrelevant anyway.

Unfortunately, the disease had managed to spread considerably before China’s Health Authorities even knew of its existence.

Where Do Coronaviruses Come From, and How Do Humans Contract Them?

Coronaviruses are a family of organisms that are classified as zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. There are many known zoonotic viruses, and a number have previously made the jump from various animal species to humans. (AIDS was originally a zoonotic virus, though not a coronavirus)

Coronaviruses are responsible for illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

Investigations have established that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans.

In many cultures, people live and work in close contact with various animals. An infectious viral disease like a coronavirus is easily transmitted cross-species, especially if good hygiene isn’t observed.

Symptoms:

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What Are the Cheaper Alternatives To Monitored Home Security Systems?

Are you considering investing in a monitored security system for your home; but worried about the cost?

There’s no doubting the peace-of-mind having your home’s security system monitored in real-time can bring. Just the knowledge that someone, somewhere, is watching over your place from afar. That at the first sign of trouble help could be on its way.
This peace-of-mind comes at a cost, however. A cost that, sadly, many of us are unable to afford.

So What Alternatives Are There, to Expensive Monitored Security?

In other articles on this site, we talk about things you can do to lessen your risks of becoming a target in the first place. The absolute cheapest things you can do to boost your home’s security are the things you do yourself.

Things like:

• Locking doors and windows. Common sense, I know, but sadly something we are all guilty of forgetting at times.
• Keeping the area around your home clear of convenient hiding places. A burglar will often hide close to the premises to work out the quickest and easiest way in. Bushes, shrubbery etc can be their best friend, and your worst enemy.
• Getting to know your neighbours. None of us wants to live in each other’s pockets, but a casual friendship, where you each take an interest in what goes on in your respective properties, can be mutually beneficial. Let them know if you’re going to be away from home for a while.
• Getting involved with Neighborhood Watch is another great way of fostering the spirit of co-operation among those living nearby.

Surveillance Equipment.

Over the past couple of decades, home security technology has surged ahead in leaps and bounds. Cameras, listening devices, alarms – all related security products – are now more efficient than ever and can be bought for a fraction of what they once cost.

A three-year contract with a monitoring company could set you back thousands, and still may not actually protect your home from an attack. However, one or two good, discretely installed security cameras, can go a long way towards bridging that gap. There are some excellent cameras that you can monitor yourself, from your phone. Others that can be monitored from virtually anywhere in your home.

One very effective alarm system, the Electronic Watchdog, (aka the Barking Dog alarm) emits a realistic recording of a vicious-sounding large dog whenever it senses an intruder. There’s nothing that will get a potential house-breaker to cut and run quicker than the thought of having to deal with an angry hound or two.

Alarms that emit ear-splitting warnings at around 120db or more while simultaneously recording the whole event in audio and HD video can be bought these days for not much more that $100. Money well spent if it prevents just one burglary.

How to Protect Your Home and Family Against a Home Invasion

Home Invasion: The very words can send a chill down the spine. It seems almost every day we read about or see footage of some innocent citizen being terrorised in their own home by aggressive house-breakers.
The official advice from authorities is always the same; ‘Don’t resist, don’t antagonise them. Hand over your valuables and rely on your insurance cover. Hide if you can.’

The trouble is, when you’re face to face with a volatile, aggressive home invader it’s hard to think rationally. Add in the fact that there’s a good chance the perpetrator is off his/her face on some sort of chemical concoction anyway – and not likely to appreciate your attempts at appeasement – and we have the makings for a minor disaster.

So What Can We Do to Protect Ourselves From Home Invaders?

Our best chance of surviving a home invasion without suffering assault or injury lies in preventative measures. Preparedness is our best weapon against home invaders. The harder we make it for thieves to gain access to our homes, the more likely it is they’ll simply look elsewhere. (In most cases, at least.)

It’s important to note here, that even the best home invasion/burglary prevention measures aren’t infallible. If someone really wants to get in, there’s precious little we can do to stop them. What we can do is buy time.
Time is the most precious thing in these situations. Time to gather your loved ones together and time to either hide or prepare your defence.

In this article, we’ll be presenting tips and advice on how you can swing the odds in your favor. How you can best fortify your home to better your chances of protecting your family and avoiding becoming victims. Read more