COVID-19 is a coronavirus that attacks the respiratory system. The virus moves through your respiratory tract involving your mouth, nose, throat, and lungs, and can cause inflammation that makes it tough to breathe. For those who suffer from asbestos-related diseases, contracting COVID-19 can be a cause for concern.

Read on to learn what asbestos and COVID-19 does to your body, and what you can do to keep yourself safe.

What Does Asbestos Do to Your Body?

Asbestos fibres can be inhaled and moved into your lungs’ lower region. Here, they cause a fibrotic lung disease known as asbestosis and alter your chest cavity lining. Long-term exposure to asbestos fibres can result in an increased risk of mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Symptoms of mesothelioma include a cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain. Some people may also experience weight loss, a loss of appetite, chest and rib pain, bloating, and nausea. Malignant mesothelioma is fatal, with a survival time of fewer than 12 months from the first signs of illness.

What Does COVID-19 Coronavirus Do to Your Body?

The coronavirus is a complex virus that has an alarming spread rate. It enters healthy cells to infect your body, then makes copies of itself to multiply throughout your body. It can also kill healthy cells.

COVID-19 is spread through droplets from a cough, sneeze, or the breath of someone infected. It can be spread through droplets still present in the air, or by touching surfaces where the virus lies. Within two to 14 days, you may then begin to show signs of infection.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include:

• Fever

• Shortness of breath

• Cough

• Fatigue

• Body aches

• Headache

• Loss of taste

• Loss of smell

• Nausea

• Chills and/or shaking

• Diarrhoea

Some people will experience several of these symptoms, but some may not get any at all. However, any sufferers of asbestos-related diseases are more at risk of a severe reaction that can result in severe illness or even death.

The coronavirus is not one that discriminates. It can cause lung inflammation that leads to breathing problems, and it can also result in pneumonia. Someone with compromised immunity or lung disease may not be able to fight off the virus as well as someone who is in good health. In fact, acute respiratory disease syndrome is a common side effect within a week of initial COVID-19 symptoms appearing.

I Have an Asbestos-Related Disease, What Should I Do?

Anyone with compromised immunity, including those who suffer from asbestos-related conditions, should stay home. Limit your exposure to the virus as much as possible by not having face-to-face interactions with anyone outside your immediate household.

Where possible, rely on friends and family to carry out your shopping. Only leave the house for exercise, but away from communal areas and other people.

You can also do your part by:

·       Washing your hands with soap and water

·       Keeping objects and surfaces in your home clean

·       Cleaning shared bathrooms after each use

·       Ensuring your carers are regularly washing their hands

Asbestosis and pleural thickening sufferers, along with those with lung cancer or mesothelioma, are considered extremely vulnerable to the coronavirus. The less you interact with others, the safer you can be.

I Receive Treatment for Asbestos-Related Diseases, What Happens Next?

Many elective surgeries and appointments have been delayed due to New Zealand’s COVID-19 response. However, your healthcare team will assess your needs to ensure your treatment schedule is minimally impacted.

If you are receiving chemotherapy, radiation treatment, or immunotherapy, your team will make the best call based on your health circumstances. Some treatments may continue, others may be paused, and some may be moved to alternative locations. If you are unsure about what happens next, talk to your local healthcare provider.

All CT scans, clinical consultations, and X-rays continue to take place, but with a few changes. Some appointments may also be conducted over the phone or with a video call.

It’s Time to Act

By early May, in 2020, COVID-19 had infected nearly 3.5 million people. It had also claimed the lives of almost 250,000 people. This disease, on its own, is having deadly consequences for the immune-compromised and healthy around the world.

However, for those with asbestos-related conditions, the danger is even more real. Asbestos exposure is the leading cause of work-related deaths worldwide. Around 90,000 people die annually from exposure, and over 125 million remain at risk of occupational exposure.

Limit your exposure to asbestos by calling in expert teams to take care of it. Limit your exposure to COVID-19 by staying home and flattening the curve. Protect the vulnerable in your community.