Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) in India and Consideration of Preventive Aspects by Ayurveda

Abstract

In December 2019, an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus (SARSCoV-2) infection occurred in Wuhan city, Hubei Province, China (East Asia) furthermore worldwide including India. On 30 January 2020, the first case of the COVID-19 pandemic was reported in India. India has reached more than 1.5 lakh confirmed cases including more than 4000 fatalities by dreadful COVID-19 infection. At present, there is no vaccine for prevention or medicine for treatment. Only preventive measures like frequently hand-wash by soap and water, or hand sanitizers along with social distancing are effective to avoid the exposure of this virus. In Ayurveda, Rasayana drugs are known for their immunomodulation and rejuvenation properties. On March 31, 2020, Ministry of AYUSH has issued advisory for enhancing immunity through lifestyle modification, dietary management, prophylactic interventions and simple remedies based on the symptoms. After that successful implementation, Government of India has planned to conduct clinical trials on three herbal nootropic and immunomodulatory drugs viz. Ashwagandha, Guduchi and Mulethi and AYUSH-64  (Ayurvedic anti-malaria drug) for their preventive properties against Covid-19 infections. This review article covers summary of the COVID-19 i.e. transmission, clinical presentation, investigation and prevention along with preventive measures in according to Ayurveda that can be adopted for future clinical trial.