Corona virus disease or COVID -19 is a novel type of corona virus infection identified in Wuhan, China in December, 2019 which causes respiratory disease that still has no cure. No vaccine or drug has been found to effectively treat the respiratory disease caused by COVID-19 thereby leading to many deaths and economic meltdown worldwide

 The COVID-19 is transmitted by droplet, direct and indirect contact.

Arise hospital together with other health institutions, Organizations, professionals and governments worldwide have emphasized universal precautions to adhere to in order to stay safe and minimize the spread of corona virus COVID -19. These preventive measures include;

1. Social distancing 

• People are advised to be at least one meter apart to avoid droplet spread of the virus.
• People are advised to avoid crowded places or avoid crowding.
• It is also advisable to avoid public transport if you can and if not avoid unnecessary

2. Wearing face masks and hand gloves.

• It is advisable and mandatory to those working in the healthcare industry such as hospitals to always wear face masks and hand gloves, and for the normal person to wear face masks when travelling and when in crowded places

3. Hand washing and use of hand sanitizers.

• Always wash your hands with soap and clean water or sanitize your hands after travelling or touching surfaces. Take at least 20seconds or more when washing your hands.
• Always wash hands after work, then remove clothing and put them for washing and immediately shower before touching anything in the house or sitting.

4. When coughing or sneezing if masked cough or sneezing onto the mask and if not cough or sneeze into a hand towel or cough or sneeze onto a flexed elbow.
5. Avoid touching your face, eyes, nose and mouth.
6. Stay at home if you do not have any urgent thing to do outside your house.
7. Call 917 if you develop fever, cough and difficulty in breathing, and  if you have a history of travelling outside the country or if you socialized with other people that you do not know their COVID-19 status.

BODY IMMUNITY BOOSTING STRATEGIES AGAINST COVID-19.

 COVID-19  has no treatment and no vaccine at the moment and therefore the best way after taking  preventive measures is by boosting  our body immunity system.  The following are strategies that boost the immunity especially the Natural Killer cells which are part of the Innate Immunity directly involved in fighting off viral infections such as the COVID-19.

1.DIET

Under diet we focus more on nutritional immunology which are foods that boost the Innate Immunity. These are either vegetables or fruits rich in antioxidants classified such as lycopene, vitamins A, C, E and selenium. We need to include in our diet the following foods.

1. ANTIOXIDANT-RICH FRUITS:

• Strawberry, Plum, Orange, Red grapes, Kiwi fruit,Banana, Apple,Tomato and pomegranates.
• This we can achieve by taking hot/warm lemon water in the morning before breakfast.

1. ANTIOXIDANT -RICH VEGETABLES

• Garlic, Kale, Spinach, Brussels Sprouts, Alfalfa sprouts, Broccoli ,Beetroots, red bell pepper, Onion, Corn and carrots.
• Vegetable rich in vitamin C include the yellow and red capscam

NB:Garlic is one potent vegetable rich in antioxidant that should always be included in our food.

• FOODS RICH IN SELENIUM
• Brown rice, Sunflower seeds, Chia seeds, Sesame, Flax seeds, Oatmeal, Lentils, Mushrooms, Baked beans, Spinach, Broccoli and Cabbage.

1. FOODS RICH IN LYCOPENE (ANTIOXIDANT)

• Guavas,Tomatoes(cooked), Watermelon,Papaya, Grapefruit, Sweet red peppers, Asparagus(cooked), Red (purple) cabbage, Mango and Carrots.

NB: Generally we should eat about six servings of vegetables  and six servings of fruits. Vegetables should be eaten raw -mainly salads and juicing them is best.

Vegetable recipes available by calling the contacts given in this brochure.

1. FOODS RICH IN RESVERATROL

• Resveratrol is a natural occurring nutritional immunomodulator which has been shown from studies to exert simultaneous effects on NK cells and other immune cells like CD8+ and CD4+-T cells which attack and destroy viral infected cells. Resveratrol has also been widely studied as a possible treatment for MERS-CoV infection in 2017 by Shih-Chao Lin and others with very promising results.
• Resveratrol is found in red grapes, blueberries, cranberries, red wine and vegetable juices.

NB: It will be important to include the above foods and also add ginger which has anti-inflammatory potency in our bodies.

1. FOODS RICH IN ZINC

• Zinc boosts the Innate immune system and the foods rich in zinc include: Oysters and other seafoods, beans and nuts.
• VITAMI D

Vitamin helps in absorption of other minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron. In addition it helps in boosting the innate immune system. Most of the population living in the cities are deficient of vitamin D due to their work (luck of exposure to sunlight)pattern of early rising and going home late. It is important to take a vitamin D test or just take vitamin D supplements.

• PROBIOTICS

Probiotics are live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on to our bodies in boosting the innate immunity. The Gut-associated lymphoid Tissue (GALT) iS the largest source of the human innate immune system and studies have shown that daily Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus acidophilus particular probiotics increase the cytotoxicity of human natural killer cells against viral infection.

1. OMEGA 3

This is anti-inflammatory and is found in oily fish like salmon and olive oil. One can take it as a supplement.

1. SOUPS

For the lovers of soups from chicken (preferably kienyeji  chicken) or mushrooms add carrots, celery, garlic and onions to make the soup.

1. EXERCISE

Exercise has been shown in several studies to boost the innate immune system of our bodies. It is recommended to engage in mild to moderate aerobic exercises for at least three times per week for about 30min duration. Exercise also allows the body to get rid of free radicals that cause injury to the immune cells  by destroying the DNA.

2. SLEEP

Good sound sleep of a duration ranging between 6 hours and 8hrs is good to maintain and boost our innate immune system. Good sound sleep also relaxes the body and is a stress reliever.

3. WATER.

It is advisable to take a warm glass of hot or warm lemon/lime water every morning as this boost the immune system through vitamin C. and also helps in making the body more alkaline. Continuously drink warm water during the day between 6 to 8 glasses per day.

4. STRESS

Avoid stress since this has been shown from studies to affect our innate immunity negatively. Someone who is stressed will has poor sleep and is prone to infections especially viral infections like flu.

5. SUNLIGHT

Take time to busk in the sun since this is the source of vitamin D that is essential in boosting our immunity to fight against the corona virus infection.

6. AVOID SMOKING

This affects the lungs and makes one prone to severe form of respiratory disease in case of corona virus due to inherent fibrosis caused by smoking and secondly due to the production of free radicals as a result of smoking causing more damage to the NK cells that are supposed  to fight the corona virus.

7. AVOID ALCOHOL

Excessive alcohol intake affects the body innate immune system directly and indirectly through poor nutrients uptake that are key in boosting the immunity. Also avoid caffeinated drinks.

You can use SAGE as a beverage which has been shown to have relieving effects on respiratory disorders.

8. FRESH AIR AND CLEAN CLOTHE

Our homes should well ventilated for fresh air to circulate in our houses and clothes should washed after days activity to avoid unseen contamination in the house.

9. TRUST IN GOD AND PRAYER

Read ..Psalms 46 and 91. Claim the promises of God.

Our Lord God Almighty is our refuge and our healer , a very present help in times of trouble. We are faced with a pestilence that only God can rescue us from since there is no cure for it. We should earnestly pray for God’s intervention.

NB: For those patients with chronic diseases such as High blood pressure, diabetes and cancer  the above strategy would be the same with more doctors instructions which  can be accessed through the contacts given in this brochure.

For consultations call us using the contacts give in this brochure.

These strategies were compiled by

Dr Shedrach G. Kahindi

Preventive and Wellness Specialist/Physician

MBchB(UoN)

PGrDip Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine..University of South Wales(UK)

MSc.  Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine..University of South Wales(UK)