A video graphic has been published showing a representation of the coronavirus that is sweeping the planet.
So far the virus has infected more than 180,000 people and killed more than 7,100 worldwide, according to a Reuters tally.
The graphic was produced based on imagery released by the Centre for Diseases control in the United States earlier this month.
The virus itself is called SARS-CoV-2. The disease it causes is called Coronavirus Disease 2019, or Covid 19 for short.
It is a coronavirus, similar to the those that cause a range of illnesses from influenza to the more deadly Severe Acquired Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that swept Asia earlier this century.
It measures up to 200 millionths of a millimetre. More simply, 50,000 virus particles would be needed to cross the head of a small pin.
The surface of the virus is covered with 'spike proteins' which give coronaviruses their crown-like appearance and are the focus of attempts to create a vaccine.
If researchers can find a vaccine that teaches the human body how to recognise the coronavirus and destroy it, the disease will be beaten in time.
A video graphic has been published showing a representation of the coronavirus that is sweeping the planet | Read more: https://t.co/mrmOGXNpWk pic.twitter.com/MX0LTEGJXI
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 17, 2020
