DISEASES CAUSED BY VIRUSES
- A virus is a microscopic parasite that depends on living cells for its survival.
- Once viruses gain entry to the body, they start destroying healthy cells by consuming the nutrients in them.
- Viruses also use healthy cells as their breeding grounds.
- This usually leads to health issues and diseases, which can trivial or fatal in nature.
Chickenpox
- Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease.
- Four million children in America per year became infected with the chickenpox virus before the chickenpox vaccine became available, according to the Mayo Clinic.
- Signs are a red rash and small blisters, or pox, that eventually break open.
- These rashes are often accompanied by fever, headache, cough and loss of appetite. The pox normally develop on the face, chest, scalp and back.
- After infection, virus can be transmitted to another person within 48 hours.
Influenza
- Flu is a respiratory disease, mainly caused by the influenza virus.
- According to the New York State Department of Health, 5 to 20 percent of the population is diagnosed with flu annually.
- Influenza symptoms include high fever, headache, sore throat and muscle aches. Diarrhea, nausea and vomiting may also occur.
- Respiratory droplets that are released into air by infected people coughing and sneezing spreads the virus to healthy people.
Hemorrhagic Fever
- Viruses belonging to four different categories cause viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF). Early symptoms are muscle aches and fever.
- However, as the virus progresses, it often causes internal and external bleeding, because VHF affects the vascular system of the body.
- These viruses make the blood vessels porous, which can lead to minor or massive bleeding.
- Patients bleed under the skin, internally, or even from the eyes or mouth with this affliction.
- VHF affects internal organs, particularly the liver, lungs and kidneys.
- It is often fatal.
Meningitis
- The fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF), becomes affected by the virus that causes meningitis.
- The meninges protects the spinal cord, brain and the CSF.
- Enteroviruses affect the CSF, causing headaches, high fever and stiffness in the neck. Other symptoms include nausea, sleepiness and vomiting.
- In many cases, meningitis is caught by being in contact with an infected person.
Common Cold
- The common cold is a viral infection caused by a virus that affects the upper respiratory tract.
- It usually manifests as a runny nose, cough, constant sneezing or sore throat.
- Common cold viruses usually enter the body through the nose or mouth. The cold is a harmless infection, and recovery takes one or two weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment